Neas and her cat Mittens.Photo:AP Photo/Rod McGuirk
AP Photo/Rod McGuirk
Mittens the cat has clocked up lots of extra air miles after mistakenly flying between New Zealand and Australia three times in 24 hours.
According to theAssociated Press, Mittens was traveling with her family from Christchurch, New Zealand to their new permanent location in Melbourne, Australia on Jan. 13, when staff forgot to remove her from the aircraft on arrival.
Owner Margo Neas began to sense a problem after waiting for her cat to be unloaded from the cargo deck for three hours, per the AP.
“I said, ‘How can this happen? How can this happen? Oh my God,’ " she told the outlet.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Air New Zealand.Adam Bradley/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty
Adam Bradley/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty
Upon Mittens' return to New Zealand, the pet moving company her owner had used to book her initial travel assisted her, and she was put on a flight back to Melbourne.
“She basically just ran into my arms and just snuggled up in here and just did the biggest cuddles of all time,” Neas told the AP of the cat’s return.
“It was just such a relief,” she added, noting that the pet had lost weight.
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
Air New Zealand plane.Morgan Hancock/NurPhoto via Getty
Morgan Hancock/NurPhoto via Getty
Air New Zealand reimbursed Neas for all of Mittens' travel expenses and apologized to her.
“He acknowledged my concerns and mentioned that if it were his family pet, he’d feel the same way,” Neas toldThe New Zealand Herald. “While they hire third parties to manage freight removal, ultimately, Air NZ is responsible and must give the same care and priority to all passengers — whether human or furry.”
source: people.com
