Overwhelmed mum ships family cat 17 hours across country in cardboard box
In a story that’s sure to provoke both outrage AND understanding nods, a busy mum has accidentally shipped her cat across the country in a box.
The cat is FINE
The cat is now fine and possibly feeling a little sheepish after its sneaky escape. Let us tell you how it happened …
Nova Scotia mum Jacqueline Lake was packing a box of tyre rims to ship to Montreal with the coincidentally very appropriately named Purolater shipping company.
Her kitty Baloo decided the box was the place to be, shimmied on in and made himself comfy.
“He got under, so he wasn’t on top,” Jacqueline explained to CTV News. “He had gotten in through the little hole of the rim down into the bottom of the box.”
Unaware of Baloo’s shape-shifting antics, Jacqueline sealed the box up and sent it on its way with the Purolater courier. WITH THE CAT INSIDE.
Read more stories about pets:
- Pick a pet that makes sense: The best animals to suit your family
- Yes, you can adopt a pet as a Christmas gift – so long as you do it correctly
- This toddler and her giant poodle pals are the happy news we all need today
- This cat’s hilarious reaction to her pregnancy will make you snort
The cat REALLY IS fine
Baloo then took the 17-hour trip concealed in the box, being driven from Nova Scotia to Montreal.
“The Purolator office in Montreal got suspicious when it saw the box,” CTV reports. “The driver spotted some urine in the back of the truck and took a closer look.”
The driver promptly discovered Baloo and gosh he must have been incredibly relieved. Baloo was then taken to the Montreal SPCA who had him vet checked and looked after him nicely.
We promise the cat truly is fine
They phoned his cat-mum Jacqueline, getting in touch with some help from Purolater.
“Of course she was extremely surprised and extremely relieved when she spoke to us – when she found out that he was found – because she had posters up everywhere, all over social media,” the SPCA’s Anita Kapuscinska said of the frantic and cat-less Jacqueline.
Volunteers kindly drove Baloo the 1200km back home where he belonged. Praise be!
“He was a little freaked out when he first got home, he’s had quite the ordeal. I just kept picking him up and saying ‘I’m sorry,'” a relieved Jacqueline told the National Post. “But by the end of the night he was back to his old mischievous self. He ripped a whole bag of cat litter in the bathroom so he and his brother could play in it while I was sleeping.”
Despite the cat litter incident, the family are thrilled to have Baloo back at home.
Jacqueline said it might take a little time for her three kids to forgive her for shipping him.
“I’m told I’m not allowed near boxes or the animals anymore,” she revealed.
Fair call.
