An elderly man got surprise after unpacking a box to find a hidden cat inside in a restaurant in eastern China.

The funny video was filmed in Linyi City in Shandong Province on March 2.

An elderly man pulled out an empty cardboard box and placed it on a table, intending to unpack it. In a split second, as the man placed the box upside down, a cat sitting on the chair underneath suddenly darted inside.

The man remained oblivious until the moment he opened the box after a series of manoeuvres, and the cat unexpectedly popped its head out, startling him.

A nearby female customer chuckled at the sight and promptly scooped up the feline.

According to the elderly man, the cat belonged to the female customer, and its impromptu appearance caught him completely off guard.

It wasn't until he reviewed the surveillance footage later that he understood the truth behind the "cat-in-the-box" scenario, finding the whole incident quite amusing.

The video was provided by local media with permission.

3月2日，山东临沂，餐馆大爷拿出一个空纸箱子，放在餐桌上准备将其拆开，就在大爷倒着放下了纸箱的瞬间，坐在下面凳子上的一只猫咪突然钻了进去，而这时大爷也并未察觉，直到大爷一顿操作后打开箱子的瞬间，一只猫咪突然漏出了头，大爷被这意外的一幕吓了一跳，旁边一位女顾客看到之后笑着把猫咪抱了出来。据大爷介绍，这只猫咪正是女顾客的，这只猫的出现完全在他的意料之外，事后他查看了监控之后，才明白了“大变活猫”的真相，感觉挺好笑的。