Some people are braver than others. And the same, apparently, can be said for cats.
Onboard a flight from Canada’s Ontario International Airport to the USA’s JFK, one feline friend turned heads when he was caught prowling down the aisle, thousands of feet in the air.
Columnist Yi Shun Lai was one of the passengers who caught sight of the apparent stowaway, and took to Twitter to share an image of the cat being held by a member of the flight crew, along with the caption “On last night’s @JetBlue flight, ONT-JFK: ‘Is anyone missing a CAT. A grey-and-white CAT.’ Yes I woke up for this.”
As the post blew up across social media, she noted later that the cat had been declared as “HEAVY”, while people in her comments begged for further updates.
“Was the cat’s owner found? Did it get trapped in a suitcase? Does a Canadian cat who stowed away need a visa now? I’M INVESTED IN THE OUTCOME HERE!!” declared one.
“And I would have got[ten] away with it, too, if it wasn’t for you meddling cabin crew,” joked another.
“That is a giant version of my cat,” shared yet another follower. “How did she get hit by a growth ray and end up on a plane to JFK?”
Meanwhile, one had a suggestion that many seemed to agree with, writing, “we must claim the cat!!! And name him Baggage!”
And Cats with Jobs had something very, very important to share with everyone, telling them to “put him down, he’s the pilot.”
On last night’s @JetBlue flight, ONT-JFK: “Is anyone missing a CAT. A grey-and-white CAT.” Yes I woke up for this. pic.twitter.com/XE5ywPM9x7
— Yi Shun Lai (賴儀遜) (@gooddirt) March 17, 2023
Luckily, people weren’t left waiting around for an answer for long, with the cat’s owners revealing just how the furry friend – known as Brian to his family, who were also on the flight, and his new fans – got himself into that situation.
“Brian escaped from his carrier on our red-eye home from Ontario, California,” came the explanation. “Maybe cat backpacks aren’t the most practical for 8hr flights but he certainly has no regrets besides getting caught.”
As well as confirming that Brian wasn’t lost – only adventurous – his owners also noted that he is, in fact, a very big 8.6kg cat. He was also, most importantly, home “safe and sound” after his big day out in the sky.
The jokes kept rolling in from there, as well as one who spoke for everyone when he said “somehow, Brian seems like the perfect name for this dude.”
But for others, they just wanted more information on how he was doing, and how exactly he’d managed to get himself out of his carrier like they’d said.
“He’s doing great!” his owner, Alexis, shared with her followers. “My partner & I travel with him in a cat-backpack and the bottom flap isn’t very secure. So Brian … must’ve nudged it open while we were asleep.”
Yi Shun then commented, “at first we wondered if Brian weren’t doped up on Benadryl; his expression seemed to be so over-it-all, but then it turns out no, this is Brian all the time.”
And Alexis was all too happy to confirm this, telling everyone that “this is his attitude at all times. Fussy, over it, and refusing to be ignored.”
That’s our big boy Brian! Thank you for all the love, he’s safe & sound but definitely not sorry haha pic.twitter.com/GDg3Bwzv4p
— Alexis (@prof_goddess) March 18, 2023
Images: Twitter
This article first appeared on Over60.