House cat on a journey

Cat accidentally ended up in Amazon return shipment

Cardboard boxes have a magical attraction for cats - one of them has now been doomed by this predilection (symbolic image).(Bild: APA/AFP/Jack TAYLOR)

The missing cat Galena disappeared from the face of the earth after around a week of searching - now she has been rescued: by an Amazon employee hundreds of kilometers away from her home. Apparently she had accidentally ended up in a return parcel.

The cat was apparently in good health, although she had not been given any food or water for days, and has since been reunited with her family. "Galena loves boxes, it's just part of her personality," owner Carrie Clark told Utah's NBC television station KSL TV.

The package that was returned to the online retailer was supposed to contain only a pair of steel-toed work boots when an Amazon employee rescued the animal from the large box. She immediately saw from the behavior that the four-legged friend belonged to someone. The cat was then immediately taken to the vet.

"Didn't believe the vet at first"
There, the cat's microchip was scanned and Ms. Clark's contact details appeared. The vet then called to explain what had happened. It was the "most amazing, crazy news in the world", she finally explained. "I didn't believe her (the vet) at first and thought it was a joke," she added.

Clark and her husband then flew more than 1600 kilometers to California to get their pet back. "It was an incredible reunion! Galena immediately stopped shaking and relaxed in my arms when I was able to hold her again."

The house cat was very lucky
The house cat was very lucky on its long journey: One of the seams of the cardboard box was open wide enough for her to have enough air to breathe and the package was not exposed to excessive heat or cold despite the weather conditions.

In hindsight, Clark describes the worry for her pet as "unbearable" - she now advises everyone to have their pets microchipped and to "triple check" any returned parcels.