A Florida feline is lucky to be alive after surviving three weeks, and nearly 2,400 miles, while trapped inside a sealed portable moving container. Despite having no food or water, the cat is healthy, albeit starved for affection!
Now, plans are under way to send him back home to his elated owner – a Pompano Beach woman who's been searching for him since he disappeared back on January 31st. Luckily, we tracked down the owner early today and learned that the kitty's name is “Meatloaf.”
“Meatloaf” apparently wandered into the moving container while it was being loaded by a man relocating from Pompano Beach to Phoenix. Once the container was loaded, the man shut the door and the container was sealed before it was moved to a warehouse in Florida, pending shipment to Phoenix. Nobody knew the curious cat was inside.
“We don't move the container until the customer tells us to, so the container was in the warehouse in Florida until we got the call. Then, we put the container on a semi (truck) and drove it to Phoenix,” explained Tommy LaBarr, manager of Portable On Demand Storage (PODS) in Phoenix.
After being trucked across the country, the PODS container was offloaded at the Phoenix-based warehouse near 67th Avenue and Buckeye Road. Late Tuesday, LeBarr said, one of the drivers heard meowing coming from one of the units. The PODS employees sprang into action to isolate the container, and then got permission to open it so they could rescue the cat. Then, they called the AHS, which sent an Emergency Animal Medical Technician™ to the scene.
“It was unbelievable how calm and friendly he was after being in that container for so long,” LaBarr said. “It was at least three weeks.”
The man who moved to Phoenix from Pompano Beach said he recognized the fluffy gray cat as one he'd seen around the apartment complex he used to live in, but he did not know that cat's name or, more importantly, who owned him. We contacted the apartment manager in Pompano Beach, who recalled that one of her tenants had put up “lost cat” signs during the last few weeks. She contacted the tenant who, in turn, emailed photos of her missing kitty to the AHS.
It was a perfect match – almost. “Meatloaf” has lost a few pounds; in fact, his owner said he was “a big cat” when he disappeared. He now weighs about 5 pounds and is slightly dehydrated, but otherwise fine.
“This is a remarkable story, and just goes to show how resilient animals can be and how each of us can help ensure their happiness and well-being,” said AHS Executive Director Tim Crum. “We extend thanks and appreciation to Mr. LaBarr and his caring employees at PODS for taking quick action to help this cat. Had they not taken the time to find the cat and save him, he wouldn't have survived much longer.”
Crum added that had this happened in the summer, the outcome would have been tragic.
“Meatloaf's” incredible tale also serves as an important reminder to keep cats indoors all the time, and to ensure that all pets have current I.D.
What's next for “Meatloaf”?
He will be neutered and implanted with a Microchip, and then flown back home.