Galena, a six-year-old shorthair cat from Utah, finally saw daylight again after a week-long adventure in an Amazon box 800 miles across the country.
An Amazon employee got the fright of her life when she opened a box at a California warehouse dealing with returns from customers.
It turned out that Galena snuck into the box when her owner turned his back on the carton to fetch tape to seal it, before sending it to Amazon for return. Not realizing that their furry pet had been boxed in, Galena got sent to the other side of the country during a six-day trip.
She was discovered on April 16, a bit terrified, but with no health complications. Remarkably, she survived spending her time in a one-by-one-meter cardboard container without food, water, or proper ventilation.
Catastrophe turned into a miracle
Brandy Hunter, who also works for Amazon returns, was not on duty that day when Galena was found, but her colleague called her straight away. She loves cats and knows precisely what to do.
Nine News reports that Hunter had to take her time with Galena, to build her trust. Hunter says she could tell the cat was someone’s pet “by the way she was behaving.” So she took her home that night.
A veterinarian examined Galena and found that she was microchipped. This made it possible to track down Carrie Clark and her family.
Luckily, she was not injured, with no internal medical complications, but was just a bit dehydrated.
Hunter posted a video of when the owners came to fetch her on her Facebook page.
Safe with her owners
Many have followed the search for Galena’s parents on Facebook posted by Hunter. They shared in the family’s joy when they were all finally reunited.
Beth Via says: “I’m just sitting here crying my eyes out. She was so happy once she was in her momma’s arms!”
Others thanked Hunter for documenting the journey. Joyce Stevens posted: “Crying with gratitude, and thank you for videotaping the reunion. What a miracle that such an unfortunate accident has a happy ending for us all. Thank you!”
Clark posted a photo of Galena safe and sound in bed with her human family.
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About the author
Mia is a multi-award-winning journalist. She has more than 14 years of experience in mainstream media. She's covered many historic moments that happened in Africa and internationally. She has a strong focus on human interest stories, to bring her readers and viewers closer to the topics at hand.
