Cat Survives 8,000-Mile Journey from China to Minnesota in Shipping Container, Now She's Ready for Adoption
A feline named Xiao Mao, who survived a harrowing weeks-long, trans-Pacific voyage from China to Minnesota in a shipping container, is now putting on weight, gaining trust, and inching closer to adoption.
After being rescued over the summer, Xiao Mao is reportedly on the road to recovery. Once deathly thin and highly distrustful after days in the shipping container without food or water, the cat has blossomed under the care of Pet Haven Inc. in Minneapolis, Minn.. According to a report from
"It's actually amazing she survived that journey, and we are not 100% sure how she did it," Kerry D'Amato, executive director of Pet Haven, told the outlet. "Three weeks without food or water, she would not be alive. She must have been drinking condensation, maybe eating bugs and rodents there."
The survival success of Xiao Mao, which means "little cat" in Mandarin Chinese, is partly credited to Pet Haven's Wallflowers Program, which specializes in helping shy or traumatized animals, like Xiao Mao, learn to trust again.
The cat's journey began in June when she accidentally hitched a ride inside a shipping container, traveling roughly 8,000 miles over three weeks from China to Minnesota. When the container arrived in Oakdale, Minn., Xiao Mao was found cowering under pallets — remarkably alive but emaciated and severely dehydrated.
After being trapped and secured by animal control, the feline was sent to Northwoods Humane Society in Wyoming, Minn. However, due to Xiao Mao's fragile condition, the shelter wasn't equipped for the intensive rehabilitation she required, so Pet Haven and its Wallflowers Program stepped in.
"When she arrived to us, she was deathly thin and very ill," D'Amato recalled. "She would charge at us, hiss, and lunge. Today, she chirps at us and comes out when we call her. Her eyes are bright, her ears are forward, she is giving us all the indications she is trusting."
In the early months of recovery, Xiao Mao was extremely skittish, hiding from any human contact. Through patient and steady trust-building, she began to relax and now seeks out attention from her caretakers.
A breakthrough came when she was paired with another cat named Prince, whose calm presence has helped her grow more confident.
Pet Haven anticipates that Xiao Mao and Prince may be ready for adoption as a bonded pair within the coming months. The organization, which relies almost entirely on donations and volunteer fosters, is also calling attention to the overcrowding at local shelters and encourages people to adopt or foster animals to free up space, so more animals like Xiao Mao can get help.
A teenage girl who faced bullying and harassment because of her weight lost 138 pounds and now looks like a movie star.
There are countless reasons why someone might want to lose weight. It might be for health reasons, to feel better in their own skin, to fit into certain clothes, or due to the social stigma that often surrounds being overweight. But for Josie Desgrand, a 16-year-old girl from Australia, it was Instagram that became the trigger for a life-changing transformation. At just 16 years old, Josie weighed 280 lbs (around 127 kg). Like many teenagers, she spent a lot of time on Instagram, scrolling through photos of slim, toned models who seemed effortlessly beautiful and happy.
The constant comparison made Josie feel worse about her body. She had tried various diets before, but every failed attempt left her feeling more discouraged and stuck in a cycle of emotional eating and junk food. She described this time in her life as a downward spiral—where every disappointment led to more unhealthy habits and deeper feelings of self-pity. But something changed one day. She had a “Eureka” moment that shifted everything. “I went into my room and stripped down to my underwear,” Josie recalled in an interview with
Instead of jumping into a drastic or extreme routine, Josie set small, realistic goals. She adopted a low-carb, no-sugar diet, increased her water intake, and began tracking her meals and body changes consistently. Her approach was focused more on sustainability than speed. One of the most supportive people in her journey was her dad. Seeing Josie’s determination, he joined her effort and started his own weight loss plan. Together, they encouraged and motivated each other every step of the way. Through diet alone, Josie managed to lose over
With her confidence rising and results showing, Josie decided to take her transformation to the next level by joining a
As Josie opened up about her journey, she started gaining followers from all over the world. People reached out with encouragement, questions, and their own stories. Josie made it a point to respond to every message, using her time each night to lift up others who were struggling, just like she had before. “When someone felt like giving up, I’d write back, ‘Keep going.’ I wanted them to know they weren’t alone,” she said. Over time, Josie reached her ultimate goal:
What started as a diet had become a true
