Cat survives 3-week trip from China to Minnesota as stowaway in shipping container

WCCO

By David Schuman

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    WYOMING, Minnesota (WCCO) — A cat now calling Minnesota home has braved an international journey of survival and resilience after being found in a shipping container, where the cat apparently spent weeks en route from China to Minnesota.

The people at Northwoods Humane Society in Wyoming, Minnesota, have taken to calling her Stowaway.

“It’s incredible,” said Renee Rude, Northwoods’ executive director. “It really is shocking that that happened.”

The cat was discovered in a shipping container in Oakdale that came all the way from China.

She isn’t up for much attention or activity yet as she builds back her strength.

“She’s really scared,” Rude said. “I can only imagine three weeks in a container without food or water. She must’ve been eating rodents and drinking condensation.”

Companion Animal Care and Control, an animal rescue serving Minnesota and Wisconsin, says she was “severely dehydrated and dangerously thin.”

They brought her to Northwoods, where Rude says she’s been eating and drinking.

“We don’t want to stress her out, so we haven’t been able to do an actual exam and assess her health, but she looks OK,” she said. “We don’t see any obvious injuries or illnesses or anything.”

The cat was on the move again Tuesday, headed to Pet Haven, a rescue in St. Paul where she has a foster home lined up.

“They’re going to be able to work with her and help her get to a point where she can trust people and feel comfortable around people,” Rude said. “Ultimately, the goal is to find a family of her own and be adopted.”

Rude says the little cat is a testament to the outsize resilience of animals.

“I look forward to hearing in a month’s time or two months’ time about the turnaround she makes,” she said.

A permanent name for the cat is still being decided.

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