Halifax cat safe after being accidentally shipped to Montreal

By Alex Cooke, The Canadian Press

A Halifax-area pet who nestled into a box for a catnap ended up 1,200 kilometres from home after his owner unknowingly sealed him inside and shipped it away.

Anita Kapuscinska, communications director for the Montreal SPCA, says the organization got a call from Purolator earlier this month, saying they discovered a cat in a package shipped from Dartmouth, N.S.

“Luckily, to our surprise, he was doing all right,” she said. “This event could’ve taken a turn for the worse very easily. He did spend 17 hours in a box travelling from Nova Scotia all the way down to Montreal.”

She said the SPCA took the cat in and cared for him while they tried to figure out where he came from.

The organization soon managed to track down the cat’s owner, who realized her pet — named Baloo — must have snuck inside a box of tire rims while she was preparing it for shipment.

“You could imagine their surprise when they recieved the call confirming that their missing cat was alive and well in Montreal,” Kapuscinska said.

The hairy situation didn’t dampen Baloo’s spirits, and Kapuscinska said the fluffy tabby was very affectionate and a joy to have around.

She said Baloo will be home for the holidays: Freedom Drivers, a group of volunteers that transport shelter animals, left Montreal Friday evening to take him home.

Kapuscinska recommends that anyone with a cat double check any packages before sending them out.

“We all know that cats love boxes, so hopefully we’ll all be a little more vigilant when packing up boxes in the future,” she said.

She said Baloo has been microchipped to help his family find him more easily if he takes any more impromptu vacations.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today