Cat Forgotten in Plane Cargo Hold Hold Reunites With Family — Details Here
Mittens has achieved more flight time than a lot of humans.
Updated Jan. 22 2025, 4:18 p.m. ET
Most of us would have to save for years to be able to afford to make multiple flights between Australia and New Zealand, but one house cat named Mittens experienced international travel several times in a 24-hour period when she was forgotten in the cargo hold of a plane. Mittens had been traveling with her human guardian when the accident occurred.
Thankfully, there is a happy ending to this tale. Keep reading for everything you need to know about Mittens' harrowing travel experience, including how her personality changed when she was finally reunited with her pet parent.
Tragically, a cat was left in the cargo hold of a plane for 24 hours.
Poor Mittens clocked a lot of travel time in the 24 hours she was left in the cargo section of a plane that she had boarded in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Jan. 13, 2025. According to the Associated Press (AP), the cat was with her family while they were relocating to Melbourne, Australia.
Once the plane arrived at its destination, Mittens' human family members disembarked, but she remained forgotten in the bottom of the plane.
Her family couldn't figure out what was taking so long — after all, traveling between countries with a pet does require a bit of extra paperwork — and three hours passed before they realized that something had gone seriously wrong.
In the end, it sounds like Mitten's carrier had been blocked by a wheelchair, and nobody realized that she had been left in the cargo area until guardian Margot Neas started talking to the airport staff. It was then she was told Mittens was still in the air!
In an interview with NBC News, Neas said she realized her beloved feline was still in the air and immediately became concerned. Thankfully, a quick-thinking flight attendant made sure that Mittens was comfortable, and the pilot was alerted to turn on the heat in the bottom of the plane to keep temperatures from dropping too low.
Neas also added that Mittens' behavior significantly changed after she left the plane. Instead of being standoffish, the well-traveled feline became desperate for cuddles and physical attention.
Sadly, Neas noted in an interview with People that Mittens lost some weight as a result of the ordeal, so hopefully she's getting plenty of snuggles and snacks now that she has all four feet back on the ground.
The family of the lost cat had hired a company to help with her relocation.
While Mittens may have gotten a free ride or two, Neas paid a good deal of money to get her cat into Australia. According to People, the family hired a company called Move My Pet to help them with their relocation, which included a $1,106 plane ticket for Mittens.
The company was instrumental in helping Mittens and Neas reunite and even reimbursed the family for everything they paid.
Hopefully this story will serve as a reminder to airlines that sometimes they need to double check those cargo holds after they unload, especially considering how cold it can get when planes are in the air.
If you absolutely must take your companion on an airplane, consider buying them a seat inside the cabin where possible.