Pelushka Persians

The Homing Instinct of Cats

What do cats, birds, bees, salmon and rats have in common? (Besides being members of the animal kingdom?) They all have a homing instinct - the ability to find their way back home even after travelling long distances over unfamiliar territory. Cats are well known for their ability to do this and we often hear about them in the news or read about stories in books. In "Extraordinary Cats" for example, a cat named Sooty found his way back to an old home after his family in moved more than 100 miles away. 

Then there was Pillsbury, a cat who made an eight mile journey back to his former home 40 times. According to London newspapers, he made the trip which took him across busy roads and through herds of cattle, at least once a week. Luckily, his owners always retrieved him.

Perhaps you've heard about Tigger, a three legged  cat who made the three-mile return trip to his old home more than 75 times! 

But perhaps the round-trip record is held by Ninja, a tomcat that 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 - one year later! 

Just how cats can "home in" on their old haunts isn't completely understood, but researchers do have some clues about how other animals find their way: 

For salmon, it seems that the smell of their home waters is the key. For birds and bees, navigating by the sun, stars, or moon appears to help. Other animals can orient themselves with the help of magnetized cells in the brain, which act like tiny compasses which help them decide which way is north. Sea creatures may even use the sounds that rumble through the oceans as guideposts. 

Do humans share the cat's amazing direction-finding abilities? 
Researchers aren't sure, but so far, studies haven't turned up any magnetized cells in our brains, although early navigators certainly learned to use the sun and the stars to steer by. 

I envy the cat! I have a hard time finding my car in the parking lot after shopping at the supermarket!