Losing your pet can be like losing a family member to some people and one family thought they'd lost their beloved tabby forever when he was accidentally shipped right across Canada.
One-year-old Baloo normally lives a happy life with his family in Nova Scotia but just over a week ago, he crawled into a box to be posted to Montreal - and ended up making a 2,400km (1,500 mile) round-trip.
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After days of heartbreak and worry, Christmas came early for the Lake family, who were finally reunited with Baloo on Saturday, after he was discovered to have survived the massive journey and is safe and sound.
Purolator employees managed to find Baloo in Montreal and got him safely to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) who managed to track down his family in Nova Scotia.
Baloo's owner, Jacqueline Lake was beside herself after searching for the family cat for four days before she got a call to say he'd been found.
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She told CBC her and her family thought Baloo might've sneaked out when her kids were heading to school. Flyers were put up around the town and the whole family went around the neighbourhood knocking on doors in hope someone might've spotted Baloo. But no luck.
She said: "I was really starting to lose hope he was going to come back. He's a very docile kitty, but he's very curious and gets into things."
What she had no idea, at the time, was Baloo had wandered into a package, but never made a sound throughout the entire time Jacqueline took the parcel from the house to the post office to be sent - the only odd thing was the 10lbs weight, which, of course, turned out to be Baloo.
When Baloo turned up in Montreal the family faced another issue - they couldn't afford to make the 2,400km (1,500 mile) round trip to collect him.
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Thanks to the Montreal SPCA and their network of volunteers, Baloo was chauffeured home.
Freedom Drivers, based in Montreal, usually shuttles animals to shelters in Ontario and Nova Scotia and took Baloo to be reunited with Jacqueline and her daughter - who was reported to be bouncing with joy when she finally saw the little tabby again.
The story of Baloo's journey is now being used as a warning by the SPCA who are advising owners to double or even triple-check containers before setting out to post them.
This is because cats love boxes and other confined spaces and not everyone will be as lucky as the Lake family to be reunited with their beloved family member.
Featured Image Credit: Radio Canada/CBCTopics: World News, Feels, US News, Community, Animals