The cat who took an arrow to the head... and lived

A California feline returns home after a mysterious two-day absence — and may be out one of his nine lives

Max the cat who survived an arrow through his head is, surprisingly, not the first feline to experience such a brush with death.
(Image credit: REUTERS/Ho New)

The image: Max, a 3-year-old black and white cat who had been missing for two days, recently returned to his northern California home — with a 12-inch arrow through his head, luckily missing his brain. "It went in one side of the cat's head, went through the ear and then out the top," says a Santa Cruz County Animal Services manager, as quoted by Reuters. (Watch a report about Max below.) Max underwent arrow-removal surgery, and is recuperating with his owner, Brad Paquin, who says his pet will be an inside cat from now on, according to the San Jose Mercury News. And this isn't even the first time something like this has happened — a similar incident occurred in Indiana two years ago.

The reaction: "Me-OWW!" says Amelia Glynn at the San Francisco Chronicle. It's really a miracle Max survived this seemingly painful injury. Indeed, if cats do have nine lives, "Max definitely just lost one," says the Daily Mail. Watch a report about this courageous cat:

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