The black cat that sprinted onto an Australian rugby field Sunday amazed everyone with his form and speed. But any healthy house cat can run faster than even the best athletes. A cheetah is the fastest land animal with a top speed of 70 miles an hour. But your average house cat can run 30 miles an hour if it feels like it, while only the very fastest humans can reach 27 miles an hour, and most athletes average 22 miles an hour. (Usain Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter who shattered two world records in 2009, clocked 30 miles per hour, but he’s the exception.)
And check out that amazing moment when all four paws leave the ground and the cat looks like he’s flying, which takes place the moment a cat uses his powerful back legs to power him forward and allow him go airborne in mid stride.
The world was justifiably impressed when the super fast (and frightened) black cat invaded the field during a match between the Penrith Panthers and the Cronulla Sharks. The video went viral and the cat’s speed and form were captured by sports photographers. Mashable dubbed the cat’s broken field run a “magnificent sight,” and so it was. The announcers in this video sound more excited by the cat than the game.
The real question is, where did the cat go after it left the field and vanished into the seating zone at Pepper Stadium? Despite efforts to locate the now famous cathlete, his life and fate remain a mystery. Although one newspaper journalist in Australia says he’s considering offering a reward to anyone who can find the handsome, athletic black cat who stole the show and won over thousands of fans.
