A cat made three flights between New Zealand and Australia in just 24 hours after being forgotten on the plane.
Mittens, an eight-year-old Maine Coon, was booked to fly from Christchurch to Melbourne on January 12, but her cage was left in the cargo hold of the Air New Zealand plane.
After waiting three hours for Mittens' plane to arrive at Melbourne Airport, ground staff told owner Margo Ness that the plane had already returned to New Zealand with her pet.
Ms Ness said that during that trip, the heating system was turned on to keep the cat comfortable. The pet – which had lost weight but was unharmed – was later flown back to Melbourne to be reunited with its owner.
Speaking to NBC on Wednesday, Ms Ness said she and her son were informed of the unfortunate incident by ground staff at the airport in Melbourne.
“They said: 'Look, we've located your cat – but it's actually on a flight back to Christchurch…'
“And I said, 'When did you find out that the cat hadn't gotten off the plane?' “We're just finding out now,” they said. I said: How could this happen?
Ms Ness said she was told the pilot had already been alerted to turn on the heating in the cargo hall where the temperature could reach 7C.
The incident remains under investigation, but reports say the stowed wheelchair may have blocked a baggage handler's view of Mittens' cage.
Air New Zealand has apologized for the disruption caused and has promised to reimburse all travel costs.
The company does not accept direct animal bookings from the public for international flights, so passengers must book through approved pet carriers.
Ms Ness said she was relieved to finally be reunited with Mitten.
“She ran into my arms and hugged me right here and gave the biggest hug ever,” she was quoted as saying by the Associated Press on Wednesday. “It was just such a relief.”
Ms Ness, who had previously decided to move to Australia, added: “It wasn't a great start to our new life in Melbourne because we had no family, we weren't complete.”
A round trip flight between Christchurch and Melbourne usually takes less than four hours.
