Missing hiker and her cat found in Gila NF

"An Albuquerque woman who’d been missing for nearly a month was found Wednesday alive, but barely.

Search and rescue crews say they found Margaret Page, 41, in the Gila National Forest and she wasn’t alone. They also found Page’s cat, who never left the woman’s side." (Full Story)

Got to love a cat that will stick with you like that

wow.

There are a few oddities with this story, if you read the same article I did. I hope we get to hear some more about this whole situation.

Great cat, but my reaction was who hikes with their cat!?!?
(Or, perhaps more to the point, what cat hikes with its owner?)

Guess it's not clear if she was a hiker or backpacker -- wasn't that far from her car. . .

I have spent some time in the Gila, and I have never heard of Railroad Canyon. I immediately got out some old NF maps and checked. Railroad Canyon is a tributary of Sapillo Creek. It is about nine miles NW of Mimbres. She would not have been very far from the road. Yes indeed, there are some odd aspects to this story.

The <del>ten</del> eleven essentials:

-Water
-Food
-Sunscreen
-Whistle
-Fire
-Knife
-Cat
-Map
-Compass
-Extra clothing
-Flashlight

Got it!

Find help, Fluffy, find help! <nah, i'll just lay here where it's warm>

fluffy had been hunting and was ok.
One of the rescuers said ,"She was an experienced backpacker - she had good foot gear. All she took with her was a bag of pretzels."

HUH?

I think some people would rather just go live in the woods rather than live in town in a drain culvert.
Jim

Rick,

hahhahahahahaha!

I am sure that if I ever became homeless or had mental health issues I would be much more likely to hole up in the wilderness than in the city.

So my wife and I were talking about what we know about cats and animals and since the rescuers said the cat had been hunting, we assume that the cat ate - what we do not know, I assume that, since kitty stayed with the woman, kitty probably brought the woman food. The question is, did she recognise it as food and did she eat it? Might make a good Disney film, perhaps she could sell the rights for a lot of money... "Mightycat" saves the day - oooohhh
Mightycat is on the way... (sung to some obscure toon)

I can see where the cat would want the comfort and safety of the woman especially at night so the symbiosis is set up - if the woman did eat, the cat would probably continue to play its role and hunt.

If you are ever lost with a group and a cat and you listing the available skills, remember the cat is the worlds most efficient killer.
Jim

Cat, the other white meat.

I wonder if she kept her cat leashed so it would not bother other people enjoying the forest....

I'm just wondering if she wanted to be found. Ya know?