NEWSLETTER

Excerpted from The New Book of Lists by David Wallechinsky and Amy Wallace.
ILLUSTRATIONS BY LAURA PARK

The Cat Came Back:
15 Cats Who Traveled Long Distances to Return Home


ERNIE—600 miles

In September 1994, Ernie jumped from the truck of Chris and Jennifer Trevino while it was traveling 60 mph down the highway 600 miles west of their home. A week later, Ernie showed up at the Trevinos’ home in Victoria, Texas. When Mrs. Trevino called the cat by name, he came forward and rubbed his face against her leg.


SUGAR—1,500 miles

Sugar, a two-year-old part-Persian, had a hip deformity that made her uncomfortable during car travel. Consequently, she was left behind with a neighbor when her family left Anderson, California, for Gage, Oklahoma. Two weeks later, Sugar disappeared. Fourteen months after that, she turned up in Gage on her old owner’s doorstep—having traveled 100 miles a month to reach a place she had never been. The case was investigated in person by the famous parapsychologist J. B. Rhine, who observed the cat and interviewed witnesses.

SKITTLES—353 miles

Skittles, a two-year-old tomcat, disappeared on September 3, 2001, from the Dells area of Wisconsin, where Charmin Sampson and her son, Jason, were living in a trailer while working at a water park during the summer. Twenty weeks later, on January 14, Skittles appeared at the Sampsons’ home in Hibbing, Minnesota. “I knew it was Skittles,” said Jason. “The cat is orange, with white paws and he’s got a look to him—a unique look.”


MURKA—400 miles

In 1987, Murka, a stray tortoiseshell, was adopted by Vladimir Donsov in Moscow. Murka killed his canary; a year later, she unlocked the birdcage and killed another one. She was banished to live with Mr. Donsov’s mother in Voronezh but disappeared after two years. On October 19, 1989, Mr. Donsov found her in his Moscow apartment building, hungry, dirty, pregnant, and missing the tip of her tail. She ate a large meal and slept for three days.


GRINGO—480 miles

The Servoz family lost their pet tom, Gringo, from their home in Lamarche-sur-Seine, France, in December 1982. The following July, they learned that the cat had moved to the French Riviera. Wishing to escape the cold winter, he had made the journey south in a week and appeared at their summer home, where neighbors took care of him.


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