Loose Cat on Southwest Flight Goes Viral for Bringing Some Joy to Thanksgiving Travel Rush
NEED TO KNOW
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A viral video shows a Southwest Airlines flight attendant carrying a kitten down the aisle to find its owner
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The grey cat got loose on a flight from Los Angeles to St. Louis
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“Passengers giggled and found it funny, it took a moment before the owner claimed their kitty,” the Instagram user who took the video said
A sly kitten on a Southwest Airlines flight during the busy Thanksgiving travel season brought laughter and amusement to the human passengers on board last week.
On Nov. 26, Instagram user Jason Thompson shared an adorable video showing a Southwest flight attendant cradling a grey cat as he went up and down the aisle searching for its owner.
“When a cat gets loose on your Thanksgiving flight home and no one claims it,” Thompson wrote in the caption of the post, which has garnered more than 136,000 likes.
The user tells Storyful the feline had gotten loose while on his flight from Los Angeles to St. Louis, Mo. on Nov. 26.
@jaytom531 via Storyful
The Southwest flight attendant carries the cat up and down the aisle
“Passengers giggled and found it funny, it took a moment before the owner claimed their kitty,” Thompson said.
In the video, the flight attendant makes his pre-departure checks in each row while carrying the furry friend in his arms. He smiles ear-to-ear as he pets the kitten. In the background, passengers can be heard laughing at the situation.
“If you have a cat, your cat is missing once again,” a voice says over the intercom. “If you sat next to the person who has a cat and know who it is, can you press that call button?”
In the comments of the original video, commenters took notice of the cat’s facial expressions.
“Cat is looking around too, like where is my hooman?” one person wrote.
“That cat is amazingly calm with all the people and noise,” another said. “Mine would be hanging off the ceiling yelling like crazy.”
@jaytom531 via Storyful
The flight attendant carries a loose cat on a Southwest Airlines flight.
Others noted the flight attendant’s and cat’s apparent bond.
“That flight attendant was soooo happy! The kitty was so chill. You know that attendant was like ya he can help with the drink service!” someone added.
“Finally a flight attendant who knows how to hold a cat,” another said.
One user even wrote about the time this happened to their cat.
“My Galy was walking underneath seats and scaring other passengers!” a viewer explained. “I was asleep because it was a red eye flight… and how embarrassed I was to realize that the [escaped] pet announcement was for ME.”
Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via AP
A Southwest Airlines plane
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According to Southwest Airlines’ official website, the company allows customers to travel with “small, vaccinated domestic cats and dogs in an appropriate pet carrier in the cabin on domestic flights.” The airline sells pre-approved carriers for $58 and charges a one-way carry-on fee of $125 per carrier.
“Pets must be secured in a pet carrier at all times while in the gate area, during boarding/deplanning and for the entire flight,” Southwest’s policy states. “If you don’t follow this requirement, your pet may be denied transportation.”
Read the original article on People

