A Maine Coon cat named Mittens became an accidental jetsetter when her cage was inadvertently left behind in a plane's cargo hold, resulting in her making three flights in just 24 hours between New Zealand and Australia. Mittens, aged eight, was scheduled for a one-way journey from Christchurch, New Zealand to her new home in Melbourne, Australia on January 13. After waiting for hours at the airport, her owner Margo Neas was informed that the plane had returned to New Zealand with Mittens still on board, which involved a flight lasting approximately 7.5 hours.

“I said, how can this happen? How can this happen? Oh my God,” Neas recalled, expressing her disbelief at the situation. The Air New Zealand pilot was made aware of this unexpected passenger and adjusted the heating in the cargo area to ensure Mittens' comfort during the flight. It was reported that a stowed wheelchair obstructed a baggage handler’s visibility of Mittens' cage, leading to the oversight.

The whole ordeal started their new chapter in Melbourne on a rather unfortunate note, as Neas felt that without Mittens, the family was not complete. Thankfully, a pet moving company facilitated the cat's return to Christchurch, where she was subsequently arranged to fly back to Melbourne via a direct flight.

Mittens had lost some weight during her unintended travels 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,” said Neas, expressing her relief upon being reunited with her beloved pet. In a move of good faith, Air New Zealand has committed to reimbursing all costs associated with Mittens’ travel and apologized for the distress caused by this mix-up.

“We’ll work closely with our ground handler in Melbourne to ensure this doesn’t happen again,” stated the airline's spokesperson, Alisha Armstrong. In an unexpected turn of events, Mittens, typically not known for her affectionate demeanor, has now become “the cuddliest she’s ever been,” according to Neas.

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