A cat, a cardboard box, and a post office make up the ingredients for this amusing story. The incredible tale involves a feline who goes by the name of Sanny, who simply settled into a box for a nap without a care in the world.
What Sanny did not know, was that by getting in that box, she was signing up for a 500km trip across Germany. Her owner probably should have double-checked the container before shipping his package, a mishap they’ll both remember for the rest of their lives.
How it all began
Cats’ inclination for cardboard boxes is not a scoop. They love to sneak into containers, small spaces, and anything that feels warm and cozy but sometimes, it results in bizarre situations.
Sanny, a cat with a penchant for hiding, lives with her owner in Hagen, Germany. In April 2022, Sanny’s owner left an open cardboard box in the living room. The container was for a spare car component, destined for shipping across the country.
The ginger cat spotted the roomy cardboard box and thought it would make a great napping spot. The feline jumped inside for an afternoon snooze, then Sanny made herself so comfortable in her new bed that she went completely unnoticed.
An inadvertent expedition
Later, Sanny’s owner returned to complete his task, quickly tidied up everything, and sealed the box with tape. He then headed to Hagen’s post office to send his cargo to the recipient, a car workshop.
All the while, he didn’t notice his beloved cat was sleeping in the box and Sanny remained immersed in her deepest dreams.
From the Hagen post office, the box made quite a journey. On April 4th, the package was carried to a post office in Hamm and Sanny spent almost 48 hours there until further transport was initiated.
On April 6th, the adventure continued, the cat in the box traveled from West Germany to the center of the land.
On the 7th of April, the box arrived at its final destination: ATP Auto Parts, located in the city of Pressath, about 482 km from Sanny’s place of residence.
In the meantime, Sanny’s owner had realized that the cat was missing and was desperately searching for her, but he never considered his posted package.
Having arrived on time at its destination, the package of spare parts was not a priority for the workshop mechanics and so, they left the new delivery in a corner of the workshop. They only opened it the next day, 30 hours after receiving it.
Sanny is free at last
As one can imagine, the employees were astonished to discover a ginger cat poking its head out of the box. Maria, one of the workshop’s employees said on the ATP blog:
“Returns like this with a cat in a box don’t happen every day,”
Luckily, Sanny was in surprisingly good shape, feeling just a little thirsty and hungry, she quickly recovered from her misadventure thanks to the kindness of her hosts.
One phone call was enough to determine this unfamiliar visitor’s origin, they discovered that the customer had not planned to ship the cat and had been very worried about her.
Great relief was felt by all involved when the ATP customer service team was able to reassure Sanny’s owner that she had been safely received.
The man quickly drove to pick up his cat and the return trip was likely much more comfortable for Sanny than the outward journey. Sanny’s owner expressed his gratitude at her return, saying:
“I am very happy and grateful to ATP Auto Parts for taking such loving care of my cat and giving her a home for a few hours,”