James Morton
Those Cute and Cuddly Killing Machines
By NATALIE ANGIER 3:05 PM ET
Domestic cats kill billions of birds and mammals a year, a new report shows, many more than previous estimates.一隻佛羅里達家貓的320公里回家路
報道 2013年01月31日
Barbara P. Fernandez for The New York Times
里克特夫婦，70歲的雅各布（左）和63歲的邦尼，以及他們的三色貓霍利。霍利跋涉了320公里回家。
沒人知道這事兒是怎麼發生的：在一次家庭旅行中走失的一隻家養母貓，終於在兩個月後，從近200英里（約合320公里）遠的地方返回了她的家鄉。
就連科學家對這隻貓是怎麼回來的都迷惑不解。4歲的三色貓霍利(Holly)去年11月初與雅各布·里克特(Jacob Richter)和邦尼·里克特(Bonnie Richter)夫婦在佛羅里達州的代托納比奇參加房車聚會時走失；新年前夜她出現在離西棕櫚灘里克特家不到1英里的一個後院，四肢不穩，而且虛弱、憔 悴。
英國布里斯託大學人類動物學研究所(University of Bristol's Anthrozoology Institute)所長約翰·布拉德肖(John Bradshaw)問道，“你肯定是同一隻貓？”因為在其他一些案例中，他懷疑“其實不過是流浪貓，但是人們有一種心理辯護，希望是同一隻貓”。
不過，霍利不僅有毛皮上獨特的黑棕色小丑圖案，而且還有植入的芯片可以確定她的身份。
美國科羅拉多大學(University of Colorado)的行為生態學家馬克·貝科夫(Marc Bekoff)說，“我真的相信這些故事，不過他們實在是很難解釋。也許靠街頭機靈，也許會讀動物線索，或是會認車，或因為其好獵手的本性。我沒有這方面的數據。”
實際上，關於貓如何導航，科學上沒有定論。人們更仔細研究的遷徙動物，比如鳥類、龜類和昆蟲等，利用磁場、嗅覺線索，或太陽定方向。
科學家說，狗回家的事情更常聽到，儘管也很少見。布拉德肖說，這可能表明，狗有從狼身上遺傳下來的用磁場線索導航的能力。
布拉德肖還說，貓在熟悉環境中有很好的導航能力，它們能靠視覺和氣味記住地點，並且能輕易地找到捷徑。
雖然陌生、遙遠的地方對貓來說似乎會有問題，但是他和英國劍橋大學(Cambridge University)的行為生物學家帕特里克·貝特森(Patrick Bateson)都說，貓可以嗅到長距離的氣味。貝特森說，“我們可以假設，它們能夠將北風與松樹的味道聯繫起來，於是會向南行。”
紐約動物行為學家彼得·博爾歇特(Peter Borchelt)猜測，霍利可能靠視覺或聲音沿着佛羅里達海岸和95號州際公路(Interstate 95)而行，還決定“保持自己的右邊是公路，左邊是大海”。
但他說，“沒人會做個實驗，把一群貓帶到四面八方的各個地點，然後看看哪些貓能回到家裡。”
英國研究貓的生物學家羅傑·泰伯(Roger Tabor)說，與那個試驗最接近的，也許是德國在1954年進行的一項研究。在該研究中，貓被放在一個有頂的圓形迷宮中，迷宮每隔15度就有一個出口， 大部分貓都在朝家的方向走出了迷宮，但如果它們的家與迷宮之間的距離少於五公里，則那麼做的可靠率更高。
但有過一些貓出人意料地找到了家的事兒。
“這事的確在我身邊發生過，”傑克遜·加里克斯(Jackson Galaxy)說，他是動物行為研究者，也是動物星球(Animal Planet)《管教惡貓》(My Cat From Hell)節目的主持。他住在科羅拉多州博爾德時，曾從小鎮的一頭搬到另一頭，搬家後不久，他養的那隻家貓逃走了，十天後，這隻貓出現在以前的房子前， “它在一個從前從未去過的地區走了五英里（約八公里），”加里克斯說。
泰伯提到幾個他認為可信的、涉及更長距離的故事，比如，1989年，俄羅斯的一隻三色貓，從主人的母親在沃羅涅什的家，回到了主人在莫斯科的家，走 的距離約為325英里；1997年，一隻名為忍者的貓，在主人從猶他州的法明頓搬到華盛頓州的米爾克里克一年後，回到了法明頓；1978年，澳大利亞的一 家人因度假，將室內生活的波斯貓託付給親戚，這隻貓從那裡逃走，最終回到1000英里之外的主人家。
泰伯還說，英國黑諾特利村(Black Notley)有一隻暹羅貓，多次跳上火車，然後在白諾特利站下來，走回幾英里之外的黑諾特利。
然而，要解釋這些貓的旅行並不像區分黑白那麼容易。
就佛羅里達州這件事來說，小貓的爪子提供了一些線索，幫助我們透過迷霧看到一點事實真相。雖然布拉德肖曾猜測，霍利可能在路上搭了便車，也許她藏在了一輛沿着I-95公路南行的卡車車蓬下面，但是，霍利的爪子卻說明，她不是整個旅程都了搭車，而且行程對她來說並不輕鬆。
“當時她的爪墊在流血，”里克特女士說，“她的爪子已經磨成很奇怪的樣子。她前面的爪子變得非常尖，而後面的爪子則幾乎磨的快沒有了。”
科學家稱，這正與遠距離行走相符合，因為後爪提供推進力，而前爪則主要從事比如撕東西等行為。里克特夫婦還說，霍利的體重從13.5磅下降到7磅。
霍利看上去根本不像一個愛冒險的流浪者，雖然她的出身可能給她提供了基因上的優勢。里克特女士說，霍利的生母是一隻流浪貓，在里克特家的房車停放區 里閑逛，而霍利出生在某個人家的空調機里。六個星期大小的時候，霍利走進他們的停車棚，跳上里克特母親的大腿，當時“她的肚子上還有空調機打開時被劃而留 下的傷疤”，里克特女士說。
科學家表示，這些早期經歷過於短暫，不足以解釋霍利可能適應野外的原因，畢竟，除了偶爾跑出去追蜥蜴，大部分時間霍利都在室內生活。但是這也許意味着霍利具有一些天性，比如敏捷和堅韌。
貝科夫說，“真有各種不同的性格。有的魚膽小，有的魚膽大；似乎也有膽小和膽大的蜘蛛。至於這隻貓，可以說，她有對付生活中各種困難的性格。”
貝科夫說，室內養的貓，其求生行為並不會完全喪失，比如抓老鼠，或者知道太陽的方向。
里克特夫婦——63歲的退休護士邦尼和70歲的退休航空機械監管員、頗有成就的投球手雅各布——在去年才開始帶着霍利旅行，而她很容易就能適應了旅館、棚屋，或者房車。
但是，在代托納比奇好山姆房車聚會(Good Sam R.V. Rally)期間，里克特一家和另外3000個房車家庭一起，在一個靠近高速公路的地方露營，一天晚上，當里克特女士的母親打開門時，霍利一下沖了出去。 第二天的煙火可能進一步讓她受了驚，經過幾天的尋找，還通知了動物機構，貼了告示，但還是沒有找到貓，里克特夫婦只好回了家。
兩星期後，一個動物救助人員曾打電話給里克特夫婦，說在貓頭鷹連鎖餐廳代托納比奇店的後面看到一隻很像霍利的貓在吃東西，該店的員工會把食物放在那裡喂流浪貓。
後來，在新年前夜，52歲的大學行政助理巴布·馬佐拉(Barb Mazzola)在其西棕櫚灘家的後院里發現了一隻“幾乎站不起來”的貓，她連發出喵喵的叫聲都很吃力。在接下來的六天里，馬佐拉和她的孩子們悉心照料這 隻貓，把吃的東西放到院子里，包括專門給貓喝的奶，最終，這隻貓進了馬佐拉的房子。
他們給她起名珂賽特，珂賽特是《悲慘世界》里的孤兒，還帶她去看了 Paws2Help（一家私立動物福利機構——譯註）的獸醫，薩拉·貝格(Sara Beg)。貝格說，這隻貓的體重偏輕並嚴重脫水，“後爪和爪床嚴重磨損，很可能是長期在柏油路上行走所致，”但是“精神狀態很好，也很機警”，沒被寄生 蟲、心絲蟲或病毒感染。貝格說，“她多慮，對身邊她不認識的人有些害怕，所以我認為她沒有主動接近人，搭了便車。我覺得她是自己一路走回來的。”
馬佐拉說，“我差點不想問”機構的工作人員，“因為我想留下這隻貓，但是我還是說，‘查一下，搞清楚她身上有沒有芯片。’”當被告訴這隻貓身上有芯片時，她說，“我當時就哭了。”
里克特夫婦看到霍利時也哭了，而當被放到里克特先生肩膀上時，霍利一下子就放鬆了。霍利回家後很順利，但是她回家的歷程仍然是個謎。
加里克斯說，“它們怎麼做到這些，我們一點概念也沒有。如果有人說他知道，那是在說謊。如果你找到了答案，看在上帝的份上，請告訴我是什麼。”
就連科學家對這隻貓是怎麼回來的都迷惑不解。4歲的三色貓霍利(Holly)去年11月初與雅各布·里克特(Jacob Richter)和邦尼·里克特(Bonnie Richter)夫婦在佛羅里達州的代托納比奇參加房車聚會時走失；新年前夜她出現在離西棕櫚灘里克特家不到1英里的一個後院，四肢不穩，而且虛弱、憔 悴。
英國布里斯託大學人類動物學研究所(University of Bristol's Anthrozoology Institute)所長約翰·布拉德肖(John Bradshaw)問道，“你肯定是同一隻貓？”因為在其他一些案例中，他懷疑“其實不過是流浪貓，但是人們有一種心理辯護，希望是同一隻貓”。
不過，霍利不僅有毛皮上獨特的黑棕色小丑圖案，而且還有植入的芯片可以確定她的身份。
美國科羅拉多大學(University of Colorado)的行為生態學家馬克·貝科夫(Marc Bekoff)說，“我真的相信這些故事，不過他們實在是很難解釋。也許靠街頭機靈，也許會讀動物線索，或是會認車，或因為其好獵手的本性。我沒有這方面的數據。”
實際上，關於貓如何導航，科學上沒有定論。人們更仔細研究的遷徙動物，比如鳥類、龜類和昆蟲等，利用磁場、嗅覺線索，或太陽定方向。
科學家說，狗回家的事情更常聽到，儘管也很少見。布拉德肖說，這可能表明，狗有從狼身上遺傳下來的用磁場線索導航的能力。
布拉德肖還說，貓在熟悉環境中有很好的導航能力，它們能靠視覺和氣味記住地點，並且能輕易地找到捷徑。
雖然陌生、遙遠的地方對貓來說似乎會有問題，但是他和英國劍橋大學(Cambridge University)的行為生物學家帕特里克·貝特森(Patrick Bateson)都說，貓可以嗅到長距離的氣味。貝特森說，“我們可以假設，它們能夠將北風與松樹的味道聯繫起來，於是會向南行。”
紐約動物行為學家彼得·博爾歇特(Peter Borchelt)猜測，霍利可能靠視覺或聲音沿着佛羅里達海岸和95號州際公路(Interstate 95)而行，還決定“保持自己的右邊是公路，左邊是大海”。
但他說，“沒人會做個實驗，把一群貓帶到四面八方的各個地點，然後看看哪些貓能回到家裡。”
英國研究貓的生物學家羅傑·泰伯(Roger Tabor)說，與那個試驗最接近的，也許是德國在1954年進行的一項研究。在該研究中，貓被放在一個有頂的圓形迷宮中，迷宮每隔15度就有一個出口， 大部分貓都在朝家的方向走出了迷宮，但如果它們的家與迷宮之間的距離少於五公里，則那麼做的可靠率更高。
但有過一些貓出人意料地找到了家的事兒。
“這事的確在我身邊發生過，”傑克遜·加里克斯(Jackson Galaxy)說，他是動物行為研究者，也是動物星球(Animal Planet)《管教惡貓》(My Cat From Hell)節目的主持。他住在科羅拉多州博爾德時，曾從小鎮的一頭搬到另一頭，搬家後不久，他養的那隻家貓逃走了，十天後，這隻貓出現在以前的房子前， “它在一個從前從未去過的地區走了五英里（約八公里），”加里克斯說。
泰伯提到幾個他認為可信的、涉及更長距離的故事，比如，1989年，俄羅斯的一隻三色貓，從主人的母親在沃羅涅什的家，回到了主人在莫斯科的家，走 的距離約為325英里；1997年，一隻名為忍者的貓，在主人從猶他州的法明頓搬到華盛頓州的米爾克里克一年後，回到了法明頓；1978年，澳大利亞的一 家人因度假，將室內生活的波斯貓託付給親戚，這隻貓從那裡逃走，最終回到1000英里之外的主人家。
泰伯還說，英國黑諾特利村(Black Notley)有一隻暹羅貓，多次跳上火車，然後在白諾特利站下來，走回幾英里之外的黑諾特利。
然而，要解釋這些貓的旅行並不像區分黑白那麼容易。
就佛羅里達州這件事來說，小貓的爪子提供了一些線索，幫助我們透過迷霧看到一點事實真相。雖然布拉德肖曾猜測，霍利可能在路上搭了便車，也許她藏在了一輛沿着I-95公路南行的卡車車蓬下面，但是，霍利的爪子卻說明，她不是整個旅程都了搭車，而且行程對她來說並不輕鬆。
“當時她的爪墊在流血，”里克特女士說，“她的爪子已經磨成很奇怪的樣子。她前面的爪子變得非常尖，而後面的爪子則幾乎磨的快沒有了。”
科學家稱，這正與遠距離行走相符合，因為後爪提供推進力，而前爪則主要從事比如撕東西等行為。里克特夫婦還說，霍利的體重從13.5磅下降到7磅。
霍利看上去根本不像一個愛冒險的流浪者，雖然她的出身可能給她提供了基因上的優勢。里克特女士說，霍利的生母是一隻流浪貓，在里克特家的房車停放區 里閑逛，而霍利出生在某個人家的空調機里。六個星期大小的時候，霍利走進他們的停車棚，跳上里克特母親的大腿，當時“她的肚子上還有空調機打開時被劃而留 下的傷疤”，里克特女士說。
科學家表示，這些早期經歷過於短暫，不足以解釋霍利可能適應野外的原因，畢竟，除了偶爾跑出去追蜥蜴，大部分時間霍利都在室內生活。但是這也許意味着霍利具有一些天性，比如敏捷和堅韌。
貝科夫說，“真有各種不同的性格。有的魚膽小，有的魚膽大；似乎也有膽小和膽大的蜘蛛。至於這隻貓，可以說，她有對付生活中各種困難的性格。”
貝科夫說，室內養的貓，其求生行為並不會完全喪失，比如抓老鼠，或者知道太陽的方向。
里克特夫婦——63歲的退休護士邦尼和70歲的退休航空機械監管員、頗有成就的投球手雅各布——在去年才開始帶着霍利旅行，而她很容易就能適應了旅館、棚屋，或者房車。
但是，在代托納比奇好山姆房車聚會(Good Sam R.V. Rally)期間，里克特一家和另外3000個房車家庭一起，在一個靠近高速公路的地方露營，一天晚上，當里克特女士的母親打開門時，霍利一下沖了出去。 第二天的煙火可能進一步讓她受了驚，經過幾天的尋找，還通知了動物機構，貼了告示，但還是沒有找到貓，里克特夫婦只好回了家。
兩星期後，一個動物救助人員曾打電話給里克特夫婦，說在貓頭鷹連鎖餐廳代托納比奇店的後面看到一隻很像霍利的貓在吃東西，該店的員工會把食物放在那裡喂流浪貓。
後來，在新年前夜，52歲的大學行政助理巴布·馬佐拉(Barb Mazzola)在其西棕櫚灘家的後院里發現了一隻“幾乎站不起來”的貓，她連發出喵喵的叫聲都很吃力。在接下來的六天里，馬佐拉和她的孩子們悉心照料這 隻貓，把吃的東西放到院子里，包括專門給貓喝的奶，最終，這隻貓進了馬佐拉的房子。
他們給她起名珂賽特，珂賽特是《悲慘世界》里的孤兒，還帶她去看了 Paws2Help（一家私立動物福利機構——譯註）的獸醫，薩拉·貝格(Sara Beg)。貝格說，這隻貓的體重偏輕並嚴重脫水，“後爪和爪床嚴重磨損，很可能是長期在柏油路上行走所致，”但是“精神狀態很好，也很機警”，沒被寄生 蟲、心絲蟲或病毒感染。貝格說，“她多慮，對身邊她不認識的人有些害怕，所以我認為她沒有主動接近人，搭了便車。我覺得她是自己一路走回來的。”
馬佐拉說，“我差點不想問”機構的工作人員，“因為我想留下這隻貓，但是我還是說，‘查一下，搞清楚她身上有沒有芯片。’”當被告訴這隻貓身上有芯片時，她說，“我當時就哭了。”
里克特夫婦看到霍利時也哭了，而當被放到里克特先生肩膀上時，霍利一下子就放鬆了。霍利回家後很順利，但是她回家的歷程仍然是個謎。
加里克斯說，“它們怎麼做到這些，我們一點概念也沒有。如果有人說他知道，那是在說謊。如果你找到了答案，看在上帝的份上，請告訴我是什麼。”
本文最初發表於2013年1月20日。
翻譯：谷菁璐、黃錚、陳亦亭
翻譯：谷菁璐、黃錚、陳亦亭
A Cat’s 200-Mile Trek Home Leaves Scientists Guessing
January 31, 2013
Barbara P. Fernandez for The New York Times
Jacob Richter, 70, left, and Bonnie Richter, 63, flank Holly, the cat that traveled 190 miles to find her way home.
Nobody knows how it happened: an indoor housecat who got lost on a
family excursion managing, after two months and about 200 miles, to
return to her hometown.
Even scientists are baffled by how Holly, a 4-year-old tortoiseshell who in early November became separated from Jacob and Bonnie Richter at an R.V. rally in Daytona Beach, Fla., appeared on New Year's Eve - staggering, weak and emaciated - in a backyard about a mile from the Richters' house in West Palm Beach.
"Are you sure it's the same cat?" wondered John Bradshaw, director of the University of Bristol's Anthrozoology Institute.
In other cases, he has suspected, "the cats are just strays, and the
people have got kind of a mental justification for expecting it to be
the same cat."
But Holly not only had distinctive black-and-brown harlequin patterns on her fur, but also an implanted microchip to identify her.
"I really believe these stories, but they're just hard to explain," said Marc Bekoff, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Colorado. "Maybe being street-smart, maybe reading animal cues, maybe being able to read cars, maybe being a good hunter. I have no data for this."
There is, in fact, little scientific dogma on cat navigation. Migratory animals like birds, turtles and insects have been studied more closely, and use magnetic fields, olfactory cues, or orientation by the sun.
Scientists say it is more common, although still rare, to hear of dogs returning home, perhaps suggesting, Dr. Bradshaw said, that they have inherited wolves' ability to navigate using magnetic clues.
Cats navigate well around familiar landscapes, memorizing locations by sight and smell, and easily figuring out shortcuts, Dr. Bradshaw said.
Strange, faraway locations would seem problematic, although he and Patrick Bateson, a behavioral biologist at Cambridge University, say that cats can sense smells across long distances. "Let's say they associate the smell of pine with wind coming from the north, so they move in a southerly direction," Dr. Bateson said.
Peter Borchelt, a New York animal behaviorist, wondered if Holly followed the Florida coast by sight or sound, tracking Interstate 95 and deciding to "keep that to the right and keep the ocean to the left."
But, he said, "nobody's going to do an experiment and take a bunch of cats in different directions and see which ones get home."
The closest, said Roger Tabor, a British cat biologist, may have been a 1954 study in Germany which cats placed in a covered circular maze with exits every 15 degrees most often exited in the direction of their homes, but more reliably if their homes were less than five kilometers away.
But there have been other cats who made unexpected comebacks.
"It's actually happened to me," said Jackson Galaxy, a cat behaviorist who hosts "My Cat From Hell" on Animal Planet. While living in Boulder, Colo., he moved across town, whereupon his indoor cat, Rabbi, fled and appeared 10 days later at the previous house, "walking five miles through an area he had never been before," Mr. Galaxy said.
Professor Tabor cited longer-distance reports he considered credible: Murka, a tortoiseshell in Russia, traveling about 325 miles home to Moscow from her owner's mother's house in Voronezh in 1989; Ninja, who returned to Farmington, Utah, in 1997, a year after her family moved from there to Mill Creek, Wash.; and Howie, an indoor Persian cat in Australia who in 1978 ran away from relatives his vacationing family left him with and eventually traveled 1,000 miles to his family's home.
Professor Tabor also said a Siamese in the English village of Black Notley repeatedly hopped a train, disembarked at White Notley, and walked several miles back to Black Notley.
Still, explaining such journeys is not black and white.
In the Florida case, one glimpse through the factual fog comes on the little cat's feet. While Dr. Bradshaw speculated Holly might have gotten a lift, perhaps sneaking under the hood of a truck heading down I-95, her paws suggest she was not driven all the way, nor did Holly go lightly.
"Her pads on her feet were bleeding," Ms. Richter said. "Her claws are worn weird. The front ones are really sharp, the back ones worn down to nothing."
Scientists say that is consistent with a long walk, since back feet provide propulsion, while front claws engage in activities like tearing. The Richters also said Holly had gone from 13.5 to 7 pounds.
Holly hardly seemed an adventurous wanderer, though her background might have given her a genetic advantage. Her mother was a feral cat roaming the Richters' mobile home park, and Holly was born inside somebody's air-conditioner, Ms. Richter said. When, at about six weeks old, Holly padded into their carport and jumped into the lap of Mr. Richter's mother, there were "scars on her belly from when the air conditioner was turned on," Ms. Richter said.
Scientists say that such early experience was too brief to explain how Holly might have been comfortable in the wild - after all, she spent most of her life as an indoor cat, except for occasionally running outside to chase lizards. But it might imply innate personality traits like nimbleness or toughness.
"You've got these real variations in temperament," Dr. Bekoff said. "Fish can by shy or bold; there seem to be shy and bold spiders. This cat, it could be she has the personality of a survivor."
He said being an indoor cat would not extinguish survivalist behaviors, like hunting mice or being aware of the sun's orientation.
The Richters - Bonnie, 63, a retired nurse, and Jacob, 70, a retired airline mechanics' supervisor and accomplished bowler - began traveling with Holly only last year, and she easily tolerated a hotel, a cabin or the R.V.
But during the Good Sam R.V. Rally in Daytona, when they were camping near the speedway with 3,000 other motor homes, Holly bolted when Ms. Richter's mother opened the door one night. Fireworks the next day may have further spooked her, and, after searching for days, alerting animal agencies and posting fliers, the Richters returned home catless.
Two weeks later, an animal rescue worker called the Richters to say a cat resembling Holly had been spotted eating behind the Daytona franchise of Hooters, where employees put out food for feral cats.
Then, on New Year's Eve, Barb Mazzola, a 52-year-old university executive assistant, noticed a cat "barely standing" in her backyard in West Palm Beach, struggling even to meow. Over six days, Ms. Mazzola and her children cared for the cat, putting out food, including special milk for cats, and eventually the cat came inside.
They named her Cosette after the orphan in Les Misérables, and took her to a veterinarian, Dr. Sara Beg at Paws2Help. Dr. Beg said the cat was underweight and dehydrated, had "back claws and nail beds worn down, probably from all that walking on pavement," but was "bright and alert" and had no parasites, heartworm or viruses. "She was hesitant and scared around people she didn't know, so I don't think she went up to people and got a lift," Dr. Beg said. "I think she made the journey on her own."
At Paws2Help, Ms. Mazzola said, "I almost didn't want to ask, because I wanted to keep her, but I said, 'Just check and make sure she doesn't have a microchip.'" When told the cat did, "I just cried."
The Richters cried, too upon seeing Holly, who instantly relaxed when placed on Mr. Richter's shoulder. Re-entry is proceeding well, but the mystery persists.
"We haven't the slightest idea how they do this," Mr. Galaxy said. "Anybody who says they do is lying, and, if you find it, please God, tell me what it is."
Even scientists are baffled by how Holly, a 4-year-old tortoiseshell who in early November became separated from Jacob and Bonnie Richter at an R.V. rally in Daytona Beach, Fla., appeared on New Year's Eve - staggering, weak and emaciated - in a backyard about a mile from the Richters' house in West Palm Beach.
But Holly not only had distinctive black-and-brown harlequin patterns on her fur, but also an implanted microchip to identify her.
"I really believe these stories, but they're just hard to explain," said Marc Bekoff, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Colorado. "Maybe being street-smart, maybe reading animal cues, maybe being able to read cars, maybe being a good hunter. I have no data for this."
There is, in fact, little scientific dogma on cat navigation. Migratory animals like birds, turtles and insects have been studied more closely, and use magnetic fields, olfactory cues, or orientation by the sun.
Scientists say it is more common, although still rare, to hear of dogs returning home, perhaps suggesting, Dr. Bradshaw said, that they have inherited wolves' ability to navigate using magnetic clues.
Cats navigate well around familiar landscapes, memorizing locations by sight and smell, and easily figuring out shortcuts, Dr. Bradshaw said.
Strange, faraway locations would seem problematic, although he and Patrick Bateson, a behavioral biologist at Cambridge University, say that cats can sense smells across long distances. "Let's say they associate the smell of pine with wind coming from the north, so they move in a southerly direction," Dr. Bateson said.
Peter Borchelt, a New York animal behaviorist, wondered if Holly followed the Florida coast by sight or sound, tracking Interstate 95 and deciding to "keep that to the right and keep the ocean to the left."
But, he said, "nobody's going to do an experiment and take a bunch of cats in different directions and see which ones get home."
The closest, said Roger Tabor, a British cat biologist, may have been a 1954 study in Germany which cats placed in a covered circular maze with exits every 15 degrees most often exited in the direction of their homes, but more reliably if their homes were less than five kilometers away.
But there have been other cats who made unexpected comebacks.
"It's actually happened to me," said Jackson Galaxy, a cat behaviorist who hosts "My Cat From Hell" on Animal Planet. While living in Boulder, Colo., he moved across town, whereupon his indoor cat, Rabbi, fled and appeared 10 days later at the previous house, "walking five miles through an area he had never been before," Mr. Galaxy said.
Professor Tabor cited longer-distance reports he considered credible: Murka, a tortoiseshell in Russia, traveling about 325 miles home to Moscow from her owner's mother's house in Voronezh in 1989; Ninja, who returned to Farmington, Utah, in 1997, a year after her family moved from there to Mill Creek, Wash.; and Howie, an indoor Persian cat in Australia who in 1978 ran away from relatives his vacationing family left him with and eventually traveled 1,000 miles to his family's home.
Professor Tabor also said a Siamese in the English village of Black Notley repeatedly hopped a train, disembarked at White Notley, and walked several miles back to Black Notley.
Still, explaining such journeys is not black and white.
In the Florida case, one glimpse through the factual fog comes on the little cat's feet. While Dr. Bradshaw speculated Holly might have gotten a lift, perhaps sneaking under the hood of a truck heading down I-95, her paws suggest she was not driven all the way, nor did Holly go lightly.
"Her pads on her feet were bleeding," Ms. Richter said. "Her claws are worn weird. The front ones are really sharp, the back ones worn down to nothing."
Scientists say that is consistent with a long walk, since back feet provide propulsion, while front claws engage in activities like tearing. The Richters also said Holly had gone from 13.5 to 7 pounds.
Holly hardly seemed an adventurous wanderer, though her background might have given her a genetic advantage. Her mother was a feral cat roaming the Richters' mobile home park, and Holly was born inside somebody's air-conditioner, Ms. Richter said. When, at about six weeks old, Holly padded into their carport and jumped into the lap of Mr. Richter's mother, there were "scars on her belly from when the air conditioner was turned on," Ms. Richter said.
Scientists say that such early experience was too brief to explain how Holly might have been comfortable in the wild - after all, she spent most of her life as an indoor cat, except for occasionally running outside to chase lizards. But it might imply innate personality traits like nimbleness or toughness.
"You've got these real variations in temperament," Dr. Bekoff said. "Fish can by shy or bold; there seem to be shy and bold spiders. This cat, it could be she has the personality of a survivor."
He said being an indoor cat would not extinguish survivalist behaviors, like hunting mice or being aware of the sun's orientation.
The Richters - Bonnie, 63, a retired nurse, and Jacob, 70, a retired airline mechanics' supervisor and accomplished bowler - began traveling with Holly only last year, and she easily tolerated a hotel, a cabin or the R.V.
But during the Good Sam R.V. Rally in Daytona, when they were camping near the speedway with 3,000 other motor homes, Holly bolted when Ms. Richter's mother opened the door one night. Fireworks the next day may have further spooked her, and, after searching for days, alerting animal agencies and posting fliers, the Richters returned home catless.
Two weeks later, an animal rescue worker called the Richters to say a cat resembling Holly had been spotted eating behind the Daytona franchise of Hooters, where employees put out food for feral cats.
Then, on New Year's Eve, Barb Mazzola, a 52-year-old university executive assistant, noticed a cat "barely standing" in her backyard in West Palm Beach, struggling even to meow. Over six days, Ms. Mazzola and her children cared for the cat, putting out food, including special milk for cats, and eventually the cat came inside.
They named her Cosette after the orphan in Les Misérables, and took her to a veterinarian, Dr. Sara Beg at Paws2Help. Dr. Beg said the cat was underweight and dehydrated, had "back claws and nail beds worn down, probably from all that walking on pavement," but was "bright and alert" and had no parasites, heartworm or viruses. "She was hesitant and scared around people she didn't know, so I don't think she went up to people and got a lift," Dr. Beg said. "I think she made the journey on her own."
At Paws2Help, Ms. Mazzola said, "I almost didn't want to ask, because I wanted to keep her, but I said, 'Just check and make sure she doesn't have a microchip.'" When told the cat did, "I just cried."
The Richters cried, too upon seeing Holly, who instantly relaxed when placed on Mr. Richter's shoulder. Re-entry is proceeding well, but the mystery persists.
"We haven't the slightest idea how they do this," Mr. Galaxy said. "Anybody who says they do is lying, and, if you find it, please God, tell me what it is."
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