Galena, a 6-year-old domestic cat from Utah, loves to hide and play with cardboard.
Earlier this month, the combination of the two resulted in a stressful trip in an Amazon package, a feverish search, a rescue in California and a tearful reunion.
Her family is still waiting to “reintroduce the box to her,” owner Carrie Clark said Tuesday, because they don’t want to stress her out.
Clark got Galena as a kitten after his aunt rescued a pregnant feral cat. Short American hair in calico and Siamese colors has been a constant companion and source of emotional support.
“I’ve been through a lot of health issues and she and I have been through it all together. And she just has this extra awesome side to her personality that’s very loving. And she can tell when you’re not feeling well,” Clark said. “And she’s really, really special to me.”
So when Galena went missing on April 10, Clark was beside herself.
They searched the neighborhood, posted flyers and posted notices on Facebook pages for lost pets in Lehi, Utah.
“Not knowing what happened to him was pretty excruciating,” Clark said. “I cried for seven days trying to understand what had happened.” Clark also discussed all the worst-case scenarios, wondering if the cat could have gotten out of the house and been caught by a predator or run over by a vehicle.
Clark said she received a “life-changing text” on April 17, saying Galena’s microchip had been scanned, so Clark knew it had been found somewhere. Shortly afterward, she received a call that her cat was near Riverside, California, after being found in a box with steel-toed boots that had been returned to an Amazon warehouse .
Clark’s husband ordered several pairs of boots, kept one and returned the rest in a large box on April 10.
“We realized our adorable kitten must have jumped into this box without us knowing,” she said.
Amazon workers knew exactly who to call when they found the feline: fellow cat rescuer Brandy Hunter, Clark said.
Hunter took the cat home and to the vet the next day, where the microchip was scanned.
Clark spoke with Hunter who “calmed me down and told me my cat was fine,” despite spending six days in a cardboard box without food or water.
“I desperately wanted to be with her,” Clark said. She and her husband flew to California the next day, met Galena at the vet’s office and rented a car to drive home.
“We did what we had to do because I love him,” Clark said.
It was an intense week of emotions.
“I went from laughing hysterically at the fact that she was stuck like that – we sent our cat – you know… just the humorous part of that, to crying hysterically in about five seconds,” Clark said.
The family was lucky to get Galena back, Clark said, in part because the weather was not harsh while the cat was missing; the box was torn at a seam, allowing her to have more ‘air, and because Hunter who took her to a vet and had her microchip scanned.
Since the news spread, Clark has shared her cat’s story, advising her to microchip your pets and double-check your Amazon boxes before returning them.
Galena is a calm cat, Clark said.
“She didn’t meow,” Clark said. “We would have loved her to meow so we knew she was,” in the box.
News Source : apnews.com
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