Speaking of cats, what comes to everyone’s mind is either the scene of their owners squinting and waiting for the cats:

Or the scene of them clasping their hands and blinking their big eyes to look cute:

Although cats jump around all day long, scurrying around, and look smart and clever, most people probably don’t associate cats with superpowers.

However, just recently, a pet cat in France became famous for its "superpowers", which attracted reports from major news media:

This kitten named Cocci actually returned to his home after being lost for 13 months after a 600-kilometer journey!

Cocci after returning home

As early as August last year, Cocci’s owner, Lætitia’s family, moved from La Meuse (La Meuse), France, to Orne (L'Orne). After the move, I don’t know whether the kitten couldn’t adapt to the new environment or for some other reason. Not long after, Cocci disappeared from home.

This made the owner Lætitia extremely anxious. She gathered almost all the neighbors in the nearby blocks to help search. Unfortunately, no neighbors saw any trace of Cocci's travels, and the search operation made no progress. However, this family who lost their beloved cat never gave up hope of finding the cat.

Thirteen months passed by in such a flash. Just when people thought that the kitten might never come back, a turning point unexpectedly occurred.

In October this year, in the Meuse department (the owner’s original home), a resident noticed a thin kitten near the house where Lætitia lived before moving. The kind neighbor took the kitten to the veterinarian and reported the matter to a website that specializes in finding missing animals. The Lætitia family happened to stumble across their own kitten while browsing information on the website.

Francinfo simulated the walking trajectory of the kitten

You must know that the distance between Lætitia's original place and where she lives now is nearly 600 kilometers. No one knows how this kitten traveled nearly half of France in more than a year, and even returned to its original home by accident.

When Lætitia saw her own Cocci again, the kitten had almost lost a whole circle. It turned out that the plump body only had one kilogram left after such a long walk. The owner's joy of regaining the kitten and his distress for the kitten made the owner shed tears of excitement. Even the veterinarians responsible for treating Cocci were very moved.

Cocci’s successful return home has also attracted the attention of many zoologists. Feline behaviorist Joana Lagarrigue explained that it is difficult for us to explain exactly how this cat achieved such a feat. Whether it was coincidence or luck, Cocci did smell a familiar smell during the journey and returned to his hometown with the help of these smells and even sounds.

In fact, as early as 2007, a kitten named Mimine walked from Bordeaux to the small town of Treverais in the Meuse Province, setting a record of 800 kilometers. The cat's traceability ability at critical moments helped them find their way home.

Cats' innate spatial memory allows them to leave unique pheromones at different landmarks, and superimpose a navigation map of their own memory on the real scene to remind them to move in the right direction.

Of course, for the cat Cocci, facing the astronomical figure of 600 kilometers, the ability to remember is far from enough. According to zoologist Jessica Serra, the cat is likely to be like a homing pigeon, using the Earth's magnetic field to determine its direction during its long journey.

At the same time, like many amphibians and birds, cats have strong night vision capabilities. As long as they can avoid the threat of human transportation during the journey, they can identify the direction based on the position of the stars.

But no matter what, Cocci created a story that shocked the human world. Currently, this legendary cat has been doubly pampered by his family, is rejuvenating and thriving (gaining weight) on various delicacies.

Of course, we still have to remind the owners to take good care of their furry children. After all, rather than letting our pets wander alone and panicked in the complex urban environment, we still prefer them to be by our side.