Cat Lost in Maine Reunited with Family in Texas

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The Tally family lives in Texas. They were on their way to Acadia National Park in Maine when their motorhome crashed. Understandably, the Tally family’s first instinct was to ensure everyone was alright. Fortunately, every single human family member proved to be so. Unfortunately, the search failed to find their beloved cat Max, who remained missing even when the state troopers plus employees from not one but two towing companies searched the surroundings. As such, the Tally parents had to prepare the Tally kids for the harsh truth that Max might never be found. After which, they headed home to Texas while leaving their crashed motorhome in Maine. Surprisingly, that turned out to be a good thing. A towing truck driver had just finished towing the crashed motorhome when he heard a cat meow. Initially, the man thought that someone was playing a joke on him. However, the towing truck driver did indeed see a big black cat on the scene, who turned out to be the missing Max. Since the towing company was already familiar with what had happened, it wasn’t too long before the cat was on his way to Texas. Something that the Tally family has expressed a great deal of gratitude for because everyone they met in Maine went above and beyond for them.

How Good Are Cats At Surviving On Their Own?

It isn’t 100 percent clear what happened in this case. However, it is believed that Max managed to survive 11 days in the wild on his own. Since the cat wasn’t described as being in a bad way, it seems reasonable to speculate that the cat managed to find food and water on his own. This is because Pawtracks and other sources make it very clear that they need to eat regularly if they want to remain in good condition. Cats can survive for up to three days if they go without water. Furthermore, cats are capable of surviving for up to two weeks if they go without food. However, they will start suffering serious consequences long before that point. A cat’s liver doesn’t have the same kind of energy stores that dog livers and human livers do. Due to this, its organs will start shutting down when it goes without food for just three to four days, which can be life-threatening.

Having said that, just because Max managed to survive 11 days in the wild on his own, that doesn’t mean that other cats can be expected to do so. Generally speaking, if a human who has lived their entire life in a city was stranded in the wilderness, they aren’t going to do very well. After all, they don’t know how to secure the necessities of life from their surroundings. A human who has lived their entire life in a city might not even know what they should be concerned about because they have been put into such a different context. Unsurprisingly, an indoor cat with either no or next-to-experience with the outdoors isn’t going to do any better if it is put into the same scenario. If anything, it might do even worse because a human might be familiar with survival stories that could have provided them with vague notions of what is and isn’t important.

Real life wilderness Threats

On top of this, there are real threats to cats that can be found out in the wilderness. Some species are big enough to prey on cats, which tend to be more common in places with a minimal human presence. Furthermore, a cat can get into fights with other animals as well. Something that is always dangerous because any injury will hinder all of their actions. Even when cats manage to make it back into human civilization, there are other things that they need to watch out for. To name an example, they don’t have inborn knowledge of how to cross roads safely, so they can get seriously hurt by passing vehicles if they aren’t careful. Put together, Max was even luckier when he managed to make it to the crashed motorhome than it seemed on initial consideration.

What Can Cat Owners Do to Prevent Their Cats From Getting Lost?

Cattime says that cat owners can do a lot of things to prevent their cats from getting lost. First, they can make sure that their cat has been microchipped. This wouldn’t have done anything in Max’s case because the cat showed up in front of someone who knew exactly who he was. However, if Max had shown up somewhere else, there was a chance that he would have been sent to an animal shelter from which he may or may not have been adopted. If he hadn’t been adopted, well, suffice to say that it isn’t unknown for lost pets to end their days in animal shelters. A microchip says that a cat has an owner. Moreover, a microchip with up-to-date information tells people exactly where that owner can be found. On a similar note, a collar with an ID tag serves much the same purpose. One could say that it is even better because a collar is much more visible than a microchip. As a result, people can tell that the cat has an owner even without checking for a microchip. Of course, the ID tag is there to tell people where the cat owner can be found. Second, there is preventing cats from getting lost outdoors. This is a combination of preventing them from heading indoors and ensuring that they won’t break free when they are outdoors. For example, spaying and neutering are recommended because it reduces the urge for the cat to roam outdoors. Similarly, it is a good idea to ensure that there are no openings in either the home or the yard by which a cat can escape outdoors. Sometimes, a cat owner won’t have a choice but to bring their cat outdoors. When that happens, they should consider a leash and harness if they are just walking around. For longer trips, they should consider getting a good cat carrier. None of these tips can prevent every single issue. Instead, it is the combination that will make for the most peace of mind.