PARIS, Jan. 30 -- Filou, a tuxedo cat with a flair for drama, has transformed what was supposed to be a relaxed summer road trip into the kind of cross-border saga that suggests he might be the only member of the family who actually read the itinerary.

According to media reports, the French feline slipped away during a holiday stop in Spain - only to reappear five months later after trekking roughly 155 miles (250km) back to his home in Olonzac, southern France, as if to say: Honestly, humans, must I do everything myself?

The adventure began in August, when Filou was travelling with his humans, Patrick and Evelyne Sire, in their camper van. A seasoned night prowler, he often vanished after dark and reappeared by breakfast, Patrick told ...