Matt Clark needed to return five pairs of steel-toed work boots that he ordered from Amazon, so he packaged them up in a big box — along with the family cat.

Now, the family has a tale with a tail, all about the journey of Galena, a 6-year-old short-haired feline who traveled nearly 630 miles inside the sealed package from her home in Lehi, Utah, to an Amazon warehouse in Riverside in early April.

Clark's wife, Carrie, said Galena loves to play in boxes, hide and hunt. She is known to be quiet. But nobody expected her to become a stowaway.

"Unfortunately, she's not the kind of cat who makes noises, so she wasn't speaking up for herself," she said.

Galena's accidental journey started April 10, when Matt Clark put the five boxes of boots in a 3-foot by 3-foot package.

The Clarks suspect Galena jumped into the box when Matt walked away to get a pair of scissors and tape to seal it.

Matt did not really inspect the box because he had already placed the boots inside. He sealed it up and took the large package to the local UPS store, which handles Amazon shipping, Carrie Clark said.

That evening, the Clarks and their two daughters noticed Galena wasn't anywhere in the house.

For the next seven days, the family checked their house multiple times. They checked their neighborhood, nearby communities and the Jordan River that runs behind their home.

Clark said the family even enlisted friends and extended family in the search for Galena.

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