'Precious Cargo' the cat was found in a parcel that arrived from China at the Vancouver mail centre in Richmond.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/BCSPCA
May 02, 2023 - 6:00 PM
A cat was found in a parcel from China at the Vancouver mail centre in Richmond and is now in the care of BCSPCA.
The box was initially examined by Canada Border Service Agency officers who noticed the box was damaged and had a hole in it, according to a BCSPCA media release issued today, May 2.
“When the CBSA officer looked into the box, the officer saw a pair of eyes staring back which blinked,” Binder Kooner with border services said in the release.
The box was taken to a different area for more examination and the cat put into a kennel with bedding and water.
Kooner said it appeared healthy but was scared. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and BCSPCA were contacted and an animal control officer was sent to take the cat to an emergency vet.
The food inspection agency issued a notice to vaccinate the cat against rabies to ensure Canadian import requirement in case the cat had travelled from China.
“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 with the animal welfare agency said in the release.
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Shaw said the cat, now named Precious Cargo, was vaccinated against rabies, given fluids to rehydrate and tested for foreign parasites and diseases. She wasn’t eating so was given medication to stimulate her appetite.
“When Precious first arrived at the clinic, she was very fearful,” Shaw said. “After settling in and getting the treatments she needed she started feeling better and trusting the team of doctors and staff who were caring for her.”
After a week at the clinic the cat was taken to a foster home where she “is settling in well” and “slowly starting to eat and drink more.”
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The foster mom plans to adopt the cat after it recovers.
Shaw described the cat as a cuddle bug who “loves belly rubs and a good stretch on her lap.”
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