Gloves A cat becomes a frequent traveler after being overlooked in the cargo hold – National

A Maine Coon named Mittens became accidental Frequent traveler After the cat’s cage was overlooked in the plane’s cargo hold, it traveled between Australia and New Zealand three times throughout the day.

Eight-year-old Mittens was held in the cargo hold of the plane on January 13 as her family flew overhead, en route from Christchurch, New Zealand, to their new home in Melbourne, Australia.

When it landed on Australian soil, owner Margo Ness told the Associated Press I waited for three hours to unload her cat from the cargo area of ​​the flight but the gloves never showed up.

Ground staff eventually showed up and delivered some devastating news – Mittens was on her way back to her home country, still in the cargo hold, making the 7.5-hour flight again.

“I said how could this happen? How could this happen? Oh my God,” Ness told the New Zealand Herald, adding that she had been told The glove box was covered with a stowed wheelchairmeaning Air New Zealand The baggage handlers had missed seeing it.

When Mittens returned to New Zealand, the pet transport company Neas used to book the initial flight helped the cat get back on a flight to Melbourne. The pilot was alerted to the cat’s presence, and the heat was turned on in the cargo hold to keep Mittens comfortable on her third flight in 24 hours.

“It’s basically just that She ran into my arms “I just cuddled up here and did the biggest cuddle ever,” Ness told The Associated Press of the cat’s return.

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“It was just a relief,” she added.

Air New Zealand has reimbursed Neas for all of Mittens’ travel expenses and has apologized to her.

“He acknowledged my concerns and stated that if it was his family pet, He will feel the same wayNess told the New Zealand Herald.

“Although they hire third parties to manage the transport of cargo, Air NZ is ultimately responsible and must give the same care and priority to all passengers – both human and furry.”

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