Stowaway Kitten Survives 6,500 Mile Trip Across Pacific Without Food or Water
A 3-month-old kitten survived a journey across the Pacific Ocean without any food or water during the 6,500-mile trek. According to reports, Ni Hao the kitten is being taken care of by the Carson Animal Care Center and is expected to be put up for adoption soon.
It's unknown just how Ni Hao got aboard the freighter, but she managed to survive the 21-day trip without any food or water and was described as "alert and responsive" by animal control director Marcia Mayeda. Ni Hao will receive her shots and be spayed before being placed in a new home, but with all of the attention she is receiving, Ni Hao is sure to go to a home quickly.
Ni Hao was discovered inside a storage container after it was delivered to a Compton-area business. The kitten was then turned over to the Animal Care Center where he is receiving extra care and attention. "She's doing OK; she was pretty weak and dehydrated," Mayeda told The Los Angeles Times. "It was touch and go at first, but the staff has been taking good care of her."
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The kitten received the name Ni Hao from workers at the Animal Care Center who decided to use the Mandarin phrase which means "hello." Ni Hao is not the first feline to be accidentally shipped from China to the United States. In 2007, a man in North Carolina was shocked to discover a cat in a box he ordered from China.
"I saw something in the container move," Eric Congdon told the Associated Press. "I turned up the headlights on the fork lift to get a better look." The cat, now named China, has been adopted by one of Congdon's co-workers.
Remarkably, China the cat survived 35 days in the shipping container, which completely surprised veterinarians.
"Usually we say that animals can only survive a few weeks without food and only a few days without water," Dr. Michelle Misavage told the AP.
"The theory is that cats have such good kidneys, their bodies adjust to the lack of water and somehow they received small amounts of moisture from condensation," Misavage explained.
