Cat found in box from China at Richmond mail centre

Mail workers in Richmond got quite the surprise when a “mysterious parcel” had a cat inside.

According to the BC SPCA, the cat, now named Precious Cargo, was found at the Vancouver International Mail Centre in a box originating from China.

“The officers noticed that the box was damaged and had a sizable hole in its side,” Binder Kooner, Chief of Operations for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), said.

“When the CBSA officer looked into the box, the officer saw a pair of eyes staring back which blinked.”

CBSA officers were able to coax the cat out of the box and called the BC SPCA in.

“The cat appeared healthy but scared,” Kooner said. “We contacted the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the BC SPCA, who sent an animal control officer to bring the cat directly to an emergency vet clinic.”

The BC SPCA says it’s unclear how long the cat was in the box, and if it ever was in China, but notes there was no waste in the box.

“No one knows how long the cat spent in transit, so she was kept at the emergency vet clinic for a week to stabilize,” Krista Shaw, manager of the BC SPCA’s Richmond community animal centre, said.

“She was vaccinated against rabies, given fluids to rehydrate, and was tested for foreign parasites and diseases. She also received medication to help stimulate her appetite as she was not eating.”

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Although Shaw says Precious was scared, she has been discharged from the centre and is “settling in.”

She is now with a foster mom who plans on adopting her.

“The foster mom tells me that she is slowly starting to eat and drink more and is getting comfortable around her and her home,” Shaw said.

“She loves belly rubs and a good stretch on her lap.”

With files from John Ackermann