Family Claims Delta Air Lines Lost Cat At San Diego Airport

A family says Delta Air Lines failed to secure the cage their cat was in during transport, leading the animal to escape.

Over the past several years, Delta Air Lines has been at the center of numerous tragic stories of regarding pet transports. Now, a family who was flying their cat on the airline from San Diego to Baltimore is hoping their tale of loss ends on a happy note.

ABC 10 News reports that an hour after a San Diego couple dropped off 5-year-old Mickey at the Delta cargo office Friday night for his trip to be reunited with his owner – the couple’s 12-year-old niece who recently moved out of state – he was missing.

The couple says they received a phone call from the airline informing them that the cat had escaped its cage and was wandering the tarmac.

“My heart dropped, I just said ‘where is my cat, what happened?’ ‘He opened the cage,’ that’s what they said, he opened the cage,” the girl’s aunt tells ABC 10 News.

A photo the couple snapped of the cat in its crate. [click to enlarge]

The couple claims that the cage – which they took a picture of before leaving – was not secured with zip-ties by Delta employees.

A spokesperson for Delta says the airline is aware of the missing animal and has worked with the family to locate it.

Since learning of the cat’s escape, the couple has been at the San Diego International Airport setting up traps and handing out flyers with Mickey picture in hopes that the animal will be found safe.

Couple claims Delta Airlines lost niece’s cat [ABC 10 News]

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist