Cat Forgotten on Plane Completes Three International Trips in 24 Hours

It’s not unheard of for cats and dogs to get lost and find their way home across long distances. However, these stories usually don’t involve long flights across multiple countries. The Associated Press reports that one feline had to make three international trips after being overlooked on a flight from Christchurch, New Zealand, to Melbourne, Australia. 

Margo Neas boarded Air New Zealand with her family, while Mittens—their 8-year-old female Maine coon—was placed in the cargo hold for a move to Australia on January 13. When they arrived, Neas waited three hours at the plane’s freight area, but her cat was nowhere to be found. The staff informed the worried owner that the flight was en route to New Zealand with Mittens still on board. 

Neas told NBC about her conversation with the staff. “They said, ‘Look, we have located your cat—but it‘s actually on the return flight to Christchurch, Zealand,‘“ she recounted. The staff told Neas that a baggage handler missed Mittens because of a wheelchair that blocked their view of the cat.

Upon hearing about the situation, the pilot of Mittens’ return flight turned on the heating to keep the cat warm, as temperatures can fall to 7℃ (about 45℉) in the cargo hold. The plane took 7.5 hours to arrive back in New Zealand. AP reports that the pet moving company Neas used to transport Mittens met the feline and made sure she was on the plane headed to Melbourne again. The pet lost weight but was unharmed. 

Air New Zealand apologized for the mistake and promised to reimburse all of Mittens’ travel costs. Alisha Armstrong, a spokesperson for the airline said in a statement, “We’ll work closely with our ground handler in Melbourne to ensure this doesn’t happen again.” 

Mittens is now safe with her family in Melbourne. 

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