We’ve all heard the stories before, a cat runs away. It turns out the pet traveled long distances to find its way back to its previous residence.

Ed. Note: The following content was provided by Cinema Vet. who is a client of KHTS AM-1220.

It’s called Homing. Homing is when a cat finds it’s way back home even after traveling long distances over unfamiliar territory, according to a PBS article.

“There are so many things that can happen, they are roamers,” said Doctor Jaimie Ronchetto, the owner of Cinema Veterinarian in the Santa Clarita Valley. “If they are used to being outdoors, they’ll want to explore, and they can get themselves into trouble that way.

One incredible story was about a cat named Sooty, who found his way back to an old home after his family in England moved more than 100 miles away.

Another famous example was about Pilsbury, the eight-year-old English cat who has made the eight-mile journey back to his former home 40 times. According to London newspapers, he makes the trip, which takes him across busy roads and through herds of cattle, at least once a week.

Tigger the cat with only three legs has made the three-mile return trip to his old home more than 75 times, according to the PBS article. But perhaps the round-trip record is held by Ninja, the tomcat who moved with his owners from Utah to Washington State in 1996. He disappeared shortly after arriving in his new home, only to turn up at the old Utah address 850 miles away an entire year later.

“There are differences between the male and female cats too,” said Ronchetto. “The males will want to roam, explore and develop their territory even more than females would.”

Many cats were found after traveling long distances, but unfortunately some pets are lost forever. Ronchetto encourages owners to keep their cats to indoors.

Watch Ronchetto’s interview on KHTS to get even more great pet advice here: 

Ronchetto owns and operates Cinema Veterinary, which is a full-service veterinary hospital with the aim of giving dogs, cats and pocket pets outstanding quality care in the areas of wellness, medicine and surgery, according to their website.

Cinema Veterinary Centre

23460 Cinema Drive

Valencia, CA 91355

Office 661-253-9300

Fax 661-554-6431