Utah family reunited with cat mailed hundreds of miles away in Amazon return box

A cat that was accidentally shipped in an Amazon box hundreds of miles away to California has been reunited with its family in Utah.

The cat, Galena, survived almost a week without food or water after she was shipped to an Amazon warehouse 960km away with a box of shoes earlier this month.

Its owners, Matt and Carrie Stevens Clark, said that they first noticed their pet’s disappearance on 10 April, prompting a frantic search in the neighbourhood.

The family also put up posters pleading for information about their cat.

“That was the worst part, we just had no idea what happened,” Ms Clark told KSL News. “She just mysteriously disappeared. We had absolutely no idea what happened to her.”

Galena was rescued a week later by an Amazon worker named Brandy, who found the cat inside a box with work boots.

Brandy rushed the cat to a vet, where its microchip was scanned for the family’s contact details.

When contacted by the vet in California, the family assumed they were being “pranked”.

“Galena is a huge emotional support to me and has helped me get through many health challenges over the past six years,” Ms Clark told the news network. “The anxiety and stress of not knowing what happened to her was excruciating.”

Ms Clark said she ran to inform her husband about the rescue and the couple “broke down upon realising that she must have jumped into an oversized box that we shipped out”.

“After talking to the vet, I got to talk to Brandy on the phone,” Ms Clark said. “She was so relieved to find out that we love Galena and were desperately looking for her.”

The couple flew to California to bring their cat home the next day and were delighted to meet Ms Brandy, identified only by her first name.

“It was an amazing reunion! Galena instantly stopped shaking and relaxed in my arms when I got to hold her again,” Ms Clark said.

The cat was unharmed despite some mild dehydration and weight loss.

It was able to breathe due to a tear in the box. “Galena survived because of her microchip, Brandy’s kindness and generosity, and god’s grace!” Ms Clark said.