By: Yiling Sun

On April 17, Carrie Clark received a phone call from a veterinarian about her 6-year-old cat, Galena. The cat had disappeared approximately a week before the phone call. She had been mistakenly sent from Utah to California in an Amazon returns package.

During an interview, Ms. Clark shared her initial reaction to this information. “I could not believe that it was true,” she said. “I told her: I think this is a prank.”

It was not a prank. Galena had indeed been packed inside a 3 by 3-foot Amazon package and then taken a long journey from Utah to California. After the package arrived at an Amazon warehouse in California, employees were surprised to discover the unexpected “item” within the box.

Despite enduring a lengthy journey without access to food or water and experiencing mild dehydration, Galena’s overall health seemed to be relatively stable. Fortunately, one side of the cardboard box had become unglued, enabling the flow of oxygen, and the moderate weather conditions helped prevent Galena from suffering from extreme cold or heat.

“It’s really a miracle that she was able to survive,” Ms. Clark said.

Ms. Clark provided a possible explanation, stating that while her husband was packaging the box, Galena likely seized the opportunity to jump into the box when he momentarily left to fetch some tape. The package’s weight was about 30 pounds, making it difficult to notice any additional weight when it was shipped on April 10th.

“She [Galena] doesn’t meow a lot and she loves boxes, so for her, she was really happy in that moment, I’m sure,” Ms. Clark said. “Although I’m sure that wasn’t the case later on.”

The day after they sent the package, they realized that their shy and reserved cat was nowhere to be found. They searched the entire house and the surrounding neighborhood in a panic, but unfortunately, they found no clues as to where Galena might be. Ms. Clark said she was experiencing a great deal of grief.

Upon receiving the phone call from Amazon that they had her cat, she immediately arranged a flight to California. Shortly after arriving with her husband, she quickly rushed to see her cat again.

“When I got to hold her again, she stopped shaking and knew that I was there for her,” Ms. Clark said. “It was such a miraculous moment.”