A cat has made three flights between New Zealand and Australia in just 24 hours after being forgotten on a plane.
Mittens, an eight-year-old Maine Coon, was due to travel from Christchurch to Melbourne on January 12, but her cage was left in the hold of an Air New Zealand aircraft.
After waiting for Mittens for three hours at Melbourne Airport, owner Margo Neas was told by ground staff that the plane had already returned to New Zealand with her pet.
Heating was turned on to keep the cats comfortable during that flight, Neas said. The pet, which had lost weight but suffered no significant damage, was later flown back to Melbourne to be reunited with its owner.
In an interview with NBC on Wednesday, Mr Nice said he and his son were notified of the incident by Melbourne Airport ground staff.
“They said: ‘Look, we found your cat, but it was actually on the plane back to Christchurch…’
“And I said, ‘When did you know the cat didn’t get off the plane?’ And they said: ‘We have just discovered it.’ And I said, ‘How can this happen?'”
Mr Neas said the pilots had already been warned to turn on the heating, which could reduce temperatures in the cargo hold by as much as 7C.
Air New Zealand continues to investigate how the mittens were forgotten, but reports have emerged that a stored wheelchair may have obscured a baggage handler’s view of the cage.
The airline apologized for the inconvenience this caused and promised to reimburse all travel costs.
The Company does not allow direct reservations of animals by the public on international flights, so passengers must make reservations through an approved pet carrier.
Mr Neas said he was relieved to finally be reunited with Mittens.
“She basically just fell into my arms and pulled me here and gave me the biggest hug ever.” She said, according to the Associated Press on Wednesday: “I was really fortunate.”
Mr Nice, who had previously decided to move to Australia, added: “It wasn’t the best start to our new life in Melbourne. We had no family, we weren’t complete.”
A one-way flight between Christchurch and Melbourne typically takes less than four hours.
