Cat makes three flights in 24 hours after staying on the plane

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 booked to travel 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 at Melbourne airport, ground staff told owner Margo Neas that the plane had already returned to New Zealand with her pet.

During that flight, the heater was turned on to keep the cat comfortable, Neas said. The pet, who had lost weight but was otherwise unharmed, was flown back to Melbourne to be reunited with his owner.

Speaking to NBC on Wednesday, Neas said she and her son had been informed about the mishap by ground staff at Melbourne Airport.

“They said, ‘Look, we’ve located your cat, but he’s actually on the flight back to Christchurch…’

“And I said, ‘When did you find out that the cat wasn’t taken off the plane?’ And they said, ‘We just found out now.’ And I said, ‘How can this happen?'”

Neas said he was told the pilot had already been alerted to turn on the heating in the cargo room, where the temperature could be as low as 7C.

The incident is still being investigated, but reports say a stowed wheelchair may have obscured the baggage handler’s view of Mittens’ cage.

Air New Zealand apologized for the inconvenience caused and promised to refund all travel costs.

The company does not accept direct animal reservations from the public for international flights, so passengers must book through approved pet carriers.

Neas said she was relieved to finally be reunited with Mitten.

“She basically ran into my arms and snuggled here and gave me the biggest hugs ever,” he told the AP news agency on Wednesday. “It was a huge relief.”

Neas, who had previously decided to move to Australia, added: “It wasn’t a great start to our new life in Melbourne because we didn’t have a family, we weren’t complete.”

One-way flight time between Christchurch and Melbourne typically takes less than four hours.