Cat makes three flights in 24 hours after being left on plane

A cat made three flights from New Zealand to Australia in just 24 hours after being forgotten on a plane.

Mittens, an eight-year-old Maine Coon, was due to travel from Christchurch to Melbourne on January 12 – but his cage was left in the hold of the Air New Zealand plane.

After waiting for Mittens for three hours at Melbourne Airport, owner Margo Neas was informed by ground staff 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, Ms Neas said. The animal – which had lost weight but was otherwise unharmed – was then flown again to Melbourne to be reunited with its owner.

Speaking to NBC on Wednesday, Ms Neas said she and her son were informed of the accident by ground staff at Melbourne Airport.

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

“And I said, ‘When did you find out the cat hadn’t been removed from the plane?’ And they said, ‘We just found out.’ And I said, ‘How can this happen?'”

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

The incident remains under investigation, but reports indicate a stowed wheelchair may have obscured a baggage handler’s view of Mittens’ cage.

Air New Zealand has apologized for the distress caused, promising to reimburse all travel costs.

The company does not accept direct pet bookings from the public for international flights, so passengers must book through approved pet transport companies.

Ms Neas said she was relieved to finally have Mitten back.

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

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

One-way flight time from Christchurch to Melbourne usually takes less than four hours.