A story from KTVA Alaska reports that a two-year old cat has survived over two months trapped inside a moving box.
During their move from El Paso, Texas to Fairbanks, Alaska, Jesse Chelf and his wife, Kymberly, thought for sure that they had lost poor Moosie. Assuming he had run away, they figured the cat had simply escaped through a door someone left open on moving day. This is one of the worst possible scenarios when
moving with pets.
One of the final items the movers had packed was the couple's futon, placing the mattress inside of a custom moving box. Turns out, that's exactly where Moosie was. Traveling from El Paso, Texas to Tacoma, Washington via truck, the shipment then passed through Canadian waters via boat. Once it reached Anchorage, Alaska, the shipment trekked up to Fairbanks via train. The brave cat managed to survive sixty-four days without food or water, in complete darkness. That's an astounding feat even for a human!
When the couple's belongings arrived in Fairbanks last week, Kymberly heard a cat crying. Though the Chelfs were shocked, they knew it was Moosie. "As soon as I heard him meowing, it just sounded like he was giving it everything he had just to let us know he was there," said Kymberly.
The couple opened up the box and found their beloved cat in the futon mattress. They rushed him to the vet's office, where Moosie was treated for severe dehydration. Even though the cat had damage to his liver, his kidneys were working fine and the vet was optimistic about his future. After rehydrating the cat, the vets worked up a plan to get his digestive system back to normal.
When Moosie was a kitten, the couple hand-fed him meals. Now, they'll have to feed the cat through a tube until he is able to consume solid food again. Of course, the Chelfs are just happy to have Moosie home.