Mittens the cat was supposed to fly with her family, which was moving from New Zealand to Australia, but managed, due to bungling, to make three trips. The Associated Press reports (click on screenshot below to read):
The tail:
A Maine coon cat named Mittens became an accidental jetsetter this month when her cage was overlooked in a plane cargo hold and she made three trips in 24 hours between New Zealand and Australia.
Mittens, 8, was booked for one-way travel with her family from Christchurch, New Zealand to their new home in Melbourne, Australia on Jan. 13. But owner Margo Neas said Wednesday that as she waited for Mittens to be unloaded from the plane’s freight area, three hours passed with no sign of the cat.
It was then that ground staff told Neas the plane had returned to New Zealand — with Mittens still on board. The return trip involves about 7.5 hours in the air.
“I said, how can this happen? How can this happen? Oh my God,” Neas said.
The Air New Zealand pilot was told of the extra passenger during the flight and turned on the heating in the cargo hold to keep Mittens comfortable, she added. Neas was told that a stowed wheelchair had obscured a baggage handler’s view of Mittens’ cage.
That is true incompetence. Mittens could have frozen! But wait! There’s more after this video report:
But the saga had a happy ending. The pet moving company that Neas used to arrange Mittens’ travel met the cat on her return to Christchurch and ensured she was back on the plane for another trip to Melbourne — this time just one way.
Mittens had lost weight but was otherwise unharmed.
“She basically just ran into my arms and just snuggled up in here and just did the biggest cuddles of all time,” Neas said. “It was just such a relief.”
Air New Zealand would reimburse all costs associated with Mittens’ travel and has apologized for the distress caused, the airline said in a statement.
“We’ll work closely with our ground handler in Melbourne to ensure this doesn’t happen again,” said spokesperson Alisha Armstrong.
Meanwhile Mittens, not usually an affectionate pet, is “the cuddliest she’s ever been,” said Neas.
“The cat gets as much attention as she wants right now because we’re just so absolutely and utterly relieved to have her back.”
It’s a good thing that Air New Zealand is covering the travel costs, but they really should give Mittens a year’s supply of cat food.
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From Britain’s Daily Star, a big kerfuffle ensued over plans to put a dog salon (Barks ‘N’ Bubbles) next to a cat cafe (The Andover Catfe). This is recent (click to read):
An excerpt:
A row has broken out after plans were announced to open a dog grooming salon next door to a cat cafe.
The owners of the cat cafe have been left furious after proposals were put forward to open the dog salon right next to their feline-friendly shop in a town centre. The owners of Andover Catfe say a dog grooming shop will ‘potentially end us’ because its clientele will spook their feline residents, Solent News reported.
The comments come as an application was formally submitted by Barks ‘N’ Bubbles to open a salon in Andover, Hampshire. Stuart Waue, owner of Andover Catfe, lodged an official objection to the application and said his cafe attracts cat lovers from around the UK.
He said: “Our Catfe is supposed to be a calming atmosphere for people to enjoy the company of cats. If there are agitated dogs making a lot of noise it will upset our cats and create unnecessary stress for them and our visitors.
A Tik Tok video of the Catfe:
@inandoveruk 🐈ANDOVER CATFE – A MUST VISIT 🐈 We were lucky enough to get a slot at The Andover Catfe last week – what a lovely treat – have you been yet? The cats are adorable, the atmosphere is super calm and relaxing and the food, drink and service was great. Booking is advisable and you can stay up to date with opening hours and availability on their website: http://www.andovercatfe.co.uk. Let us know when you visit! #inandover #supportlocal #andovercatfe #andovercatcafe #andoverhighstreet
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“The increased canine traffic in the area may also result in an increase in dog faeces and members of the public waiting outside our windows with their (potentially agitated and noisy) dogs disturbing our cats and visitors.
“We’re not dog haters and can appreciate a small business taking on an empty unit, but to open this right next to a cat cafe will potentially end us when we are currently bringing people from outside the town into Andover.”
Amber Cooper, owner of Barks ‘N’ Bubbles, defended her application.
She said: “As an owner of three cats myself, I understand the Catfe’s concerns about any distress their cats may experience due to having a dog groomers close by.
“However, as I work by an appointment only basis and will have a waiting area in my salon, I am confident my clients will not have any need to wait outside the premises, potentially causing a disruption to the cats/
“Furthermore, I have known my customers for many years, all of which are responsible owners who will be sure to pick up after their dogs should they mess outside.
“Finally, I take steps in my business to minimise noise wherever I can, and due to not sharing a wall with the Andover Catfe, I am sure any noise will not be heard from inside the cafe.”
There’s more as the d*g lovers defend the canine spa,
The Daily Mail gives the other side (click to read):
How did it turn out? Well, you can google Barks ‘N’ Bubbles in Andover, and it’s run by the woman fighting the Andover CatFe, but their Facebook Page has a phone number and no address. Either the cat vs. dg fight is still going on, the dg salon is being built, or Barks ‘N’ Bubbles lost its fight.
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Bored Panda tells us about a dedicated Instagram page called “only silly cats allowed“, which is fully of silly cat memes and pictures. The page below (click to read) has the 30 best ones, but I’ve chosen a half dozen directly from the Instagram site to show you on this Caturday. The site has a gazillion of variable quality.
No he doesn’t . . . . (a video):
. . . and Valentine’s Day is coming!
h/t: Ginger K.
Poor kitty! Not surprised she has become clingy after spending so much time in the air.
Mittens, 8, is fortunate that she will probably survive long enough to become Mittens, 9. What a shock to find that your beloved kitty did not get off the plane!
I can confirm: dog groomers are VERY noisy, barky places. And pricey!
D.A.
NYC
That will probably be the main problem, as this will likely be alarming to both cats and annoying to the cafe customers. In fact, any small business next to a groomers would have to put up with the noise. And I say this as a d*g lover.
This reminded me of another New Zealand cat called Mittens, formerly of Wellington but currently resident in Auckland:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/109894449/he-goes-to-church-he-goes-to-the-tattoo-parlour–meet-mittens-the-cat
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/cutestuff/127610187/finding-mittens-wellingtons-iconic-feline-adapting-to-life-as-an-aucklander
This Mittens even has his own Wikipedia page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mittens_(cat)
Cute! 🐈🐈🐈
If relocating meant placing my kittens in cargo for an international flight, I simply wouldn’t go. I’d sooner cross the ocean by sea than endure the thought of what Mittens must have suffered.
Given the sense of humor Air NZ is known for, they probably found this worth the expense.
Thank you so much for these kitties after a very rough week.
Like Roz, I don’t think I could ever trust any of my cats to an air carrier. I’m sure most cats are delivered safely, but some aren’t.
Loved the “silly cat memes,” though some are really not that silly.
And I don’t blame the cat cafe for not wanting to have a dog grooming business move in next door–there is no way the dogs would not be barking, and that upsets most cats.