A cheeky feline made the journey of a lifetime from Utah to California in a very peculiar vessel - an Amazon return box.
Owner Carrie Clark has an Amazon warehouse worker to thank for helping to bring her and her pet back together. The Mom of two, from Salt Lake City, Utah, was left distressed when she recently lost her beloved cat Galena.
She posted about her concerns on social media, informing others that her much-loved kitty disappeared on Wednesday, April 10, from their home. "We searched every nook and cranny in our home, neighbourhood … neighbourhoods surrounding us for a week," she posted on Facebook to no avail.
READ MORE: 'My life is great 40 years after my dad killed my rapist on live TV - I wouldn't trade a thing'
A week later she thought the situation was hopeless when there was still no sign of the cat. But Carrie was in for a massive shock when on April 17, she received a phone call from a veterinarian in California who claimed she had her missing kitty.
Carrie didn’t think she "would ever see her again", she told Fox News. "I went into shock and didn’t believe the caller," she added.
She had to confirm the cat was in fact hers so verified her phone number, address and the veterinarian she used for pet care with the vet in California as all of this information could be found on her microchip. But it was still a mystery how the cat had found her way to the Golden State.
The vet helped Clark find out how Galena made her journey, revealing she had jumped into an Amazon return package and was accidentally shipped to a return centre warehouse in California.
For all the latest on news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US
A surprised Amazon night worker named Brandy Hunter was informed by another warehouse worker that the animal had been found in a returned parcel six days after it had been sent. "A live cat was literally the last thing they were expecting to see when they opened the box," she said.
Brandy said she immediately took the animal to a vet and her microchip showed just how far she had travelled. "Without the microchip and the kindness of Brandy [Hunter], we never would have found her again," Carrie wrote on Facebook.
She and her husband, Matt Clark, hopped on a plane to California to bring their beloved pet home. "Galena’s been ‘my kitty’ for six years — she and I have a very close bond, and it felt incredible to be there for her in her time of need," Carrie said.
They were lucky the cat did not suffocate on her journey. The feline friend miraculously survived because the side of the box, which contained five pairs of steel-toed work boots, had split open. Her blood work came back completely normal when she was checked over at the vet.
"We can’t thank Brandy [Hunter] enough for rescuing our baby and all the kindness and love that she shares to everyone," Carrie gushed.
