Galena, a beloved 6-year-old house cat from Utah, recently went on an unexpected and stressful journey after hiding in an Amazon package.
The American short hair with calico and Siamese coloring, who enjoys playing with cardboard, accidentally found herself shipped to a warehouse in California.
Carrie Clark, Galena’s owner, was devastated when her feline companion disappeared on April 10. Galena had been a constant source of emotional support for Clark throughout various health challenges. The family searched the neighborhood, put up flyers, and posted on lost pet pages on Facebook, but to no avail.
A week later, Clark received a life-changing text indicating that Galena’s microchip had been scanned.
She soon learned that her cat had been found in a box along with steel-toed boots that had been returned to an Amazon warehouse near Riverside, California. It turned out that Galena had jumped into the box without anyone noticing when Clark’s husband was returning several pairs of boots he had ordered.
Fortunately, Amazon employees contacted their co-worker Brandy Hunter, a cat rescuer, who took Galena home and to the vet the next day. Despite spending six days in a cardboard box without food or water, Galena was in good health.
Clark and her husband flew to California the following day to reunite with their beloved pet at the veterinarian’s office. They then rented a car to drive home, doing whatever was necessary to bring Galena back.
Looking back, Clark feels lucky that the weather was mild during Galena’s absence, the box had a torn seam allowing for more air, and that Hunter had taken the cat to be scanned for a microchip. She now advocates for microchipping pets and double-checking Amazon boxes before returning them.
Throughout the ordeal, Clark experienced a rollercoaster of emotions, from laughter at the absurdity of accidentally mailing their cat to tears of worry and relief. Galena, a quiet cat, never meowed while in the box, which could have alerted the family to her presence.
Now safely back home, the family is gradually reintroducing Galena to her beloved cardboard, being cautious not to cause her any further stress.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.