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

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:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The countries around the world without jury trials
The Explainer Legal systems in much of continental Europe and Asia do not rely on randomly selected members of the public
-
How did the Wagner Group recruit young British men for arson attack?
Today's Big Question Russian operatives have been using encrypted messaging apps to groom saboteurs across Europe
-
The best graphic novels
The Week Recommends These inventive illustrated books will transport you to another world