On a sweltering June afternoon in South Florida, staff at Saving Sage Animal Rescue Foundation were tending to animals at their busy rescue and low-cost clinic when an unexpected “delivery” appeared outside their door.
It was a cardboard box, tightly sealed with tape, with a message scrawled across the top in black pen. No one had seen who left it, but the staff immediately feared what might be inside.
They rushed the box into the cool safety of the clinic and carefully cut it open. Inside, staring back with wide, terrified eyes, was a panting cat.
“Very little surprises us anymore, so we're not necessarily surprised that an animal was left at our door,” said Michelle Reichler, one of the rescue’s directors. “But it was upsetting to see a cat left in a box — sealed, with no food or water in the heat. It's devastatingly hot here.”
On the outside of the box, the note read: “He is friendly. I fostered him for a month. I’m so sorry I had to do this.” Inside, staff also found a second note — along with a $100 bill tucked beneath the cat. The money, according to the letter, was meant as a donation toward his vet care and neuter surgery.
“That’s a first for us,” Reichler admitted. “We never get a donation with abandoned animals. So that helps soften the blow, because we survive on donations. And I’m happy the person appeared to care for him.”
The frightened cat crouched low in the box, ears flat, growling at first. But in the days that followed, the staff watched him slowly relax. They named him Zachary — or ‘Zach In The Box.’
“He was terrified at first, but he’s coming around nicely now,” Reichler said. “He’s actually very sweet and friendly. He just needed time to decompress.”
When Zach arrived, every kennel at the small, private rescue was already full. Saving Sage receives around 200 intake requests each week, and staff are constantly stretched thin. While they were relieved Zach was safe, they also stressed that leaving animals this way is both dangerous and illegal.
“It is illegal to abandon an animal like this, especially in a sealed box where anything could’ve happened,” the rescue explained in a Facebook post. “He could’ve overheated, been attacked, or worse. We are doing everything we can, but we’re overwhelmed. Please, if you can, help us continue to show up for animals like him.”
Once Zach has been fully vetted and neutered, he’ll be ready to find a forever home — one with air conditioning, soft beds, and a family that will never seal him away again.
If you’re interested in adopting Zach In The Box, you can submit an application on the Saving Sage Animal Rescue Foundation website.
