Earlier this month, the Clark family in Utah faced a heart-wrenching experience when their cherished indoor cat, Galena, mysteriously disappeared.
Carrie Clark and her family initially thought that their furry friend had somehow slipped outside and gotten lost.
“We had absolutely no idea what had happened to her. She is always by my side,” Carrie told The Dodo, expressing the distress the family felt during their desperate search around the neighborhood.
Despite the tireless efforts to locate Galena, she remained missing. Carrie began to worry they might never see her again. “My imagination went wild with worst-case scenarios,” she said.
“We’ve had Galena since she was a kitten, for six years. Our whole family was praying that Galena would be found.”
Thankfully, the family’s prayers were answered in the most unexpected way. Galena was finally found but in a place they could never have imagined.
On the same day Galena vanished, Carrie’s husband had been packing up a large box with several pairs of work boots to return to Amazon.
Unbeknownst to the family, Galena had climbed into the box, ready for an adventurous nap, only to be inadvertently shipped away with the boots.
“[My husband] checked the box, but when he stepped into another room to get tape to seal the box up, that’s when Galena must have snuck into it,” Carrie explained.
“We had absolutely no idea that our sweet kitty had jumped inside that box before my husband taped it up.”
Thus began Galena’s unplanned journey. Six days later and 650 miles from home, she was discovered at an Amazon processing warehouse in California.
Though scared and confused, she was alive. A warehouse worker named Brandy found Galena and ensured she was safe before taking her to a veterinarian.
“After we had been searching for her for a week, I got a phone call telling me that a veterinarian had scanned her microchip in California,” Carrie said, recalling her shock and relief upon learning Galena’s whereabouts.
“I got to talk to Brandy, and she said Galena was in this Amazon package they’d opened. I was in complete shock.”
Remarkably, despite spending nearly a week traveling in a box across multiple states, Galena was found to be in relatively good health. The only thing missing in her life was her owners, but that was soon remedied.
“We booked an overnight flight to California to go and get our kitty cat,” Carrie shared. “We love her so much. We wanted to bring her back home.
When we got to the vet, we got to reunite with her.” Brandy was present to capture this heartfelt reunion on camera.
“It was an absolute miracle. We believe that God had a hand in saving our kitty,” Carrie expressed. “It was utter joy to be able to find her again.”
The Clark family rented a car to drive Galena back home, bringing her adventure to a close. Now, just over a week since the incident, the family is relieved and joyous to have Galena safe with them again.
“She’s so happy to be here,” Carrie said warmly. “We’re so grateful to have her back. Life has been really peaceful and wonderful having her back home.”
Carrie offers a piece of advice for fellow pet owners: “Please consider microchipping your pet and double-checking your Amazon packages,” she advised. “Make sure there are no kitty cats inside.”
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