(NEWSnet/AP) — Galena, a 6-year-old house cat from Utah, likes hiding and playing with cardboard. Earlier this month, that combination led to a trip in an Amazon package, an intense search, a rescue and a tearful reunion.

Carrie Clark got Galena as a kitten, after her aunt rescued a pregnant feral cat. 

When Galena went missing on April 10, Clark was distraught. The family searched the neighborhood, posted flyers and placed notices on Facebook’s lost pet pages.

“Not knowing what had happened to her was pretty excruciating,” Clark said, “I cried my eyes out for seven days trying to figure out what had happened.”

On April 17, Clark received a text that Galena’s microchip had been scanned, so Clark knew she had been found. Soon after, she got a call saying her cat was near Riverside, California, found in a box along with boots that were returned to an Amazon warehouse.

Clark’s husband had ordered several pairs of boots, kept one and returned the remainder in a large box on April 10. The cat must have jumped into the box with them knowing, Clark said.

Amazon employees knew who to call: co-worker Brandy Hunter, who rescues cats, Clark said. Hunter took the cat home, then to a veterinarian, where the microchip was scanned.

Clark and her husband flew to California, reunited with Galena at the vet’s office and rented a car to drive home.

The family is waiting to reintroduce cardboard to Galena, so it doesn’t cause stress.

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