Cat’s out of the bag!
Airport security workers in the U.K. were likely shocked to free a fearless feline from luggage scanned before a recent flight to New York after the cat had stowed away in her owner’s bags, packed for the transatlantic trip.
Nick and Voirrey Coole were “totally shocked” to be pulled aside by security screeners last week while preparing to board their flight from the Isle of Man Airport en route to New York to celebrate Nick’s 40th birthday, The Independent reports.
Officials pressed the Cooles for answers, asking if they knew what was in one of their hand luggage bags after it had been through the scanner. The surprise, sudden inquiry left the couple perplexed.
DOG GIVES BIRTH TO GREEN PUPPY: 'IT WAS SO SHOCKING WHEN SHE WAS BORN,' OWNER SAYS
“We ran out of ideas for what it could have been, and my wife even asked them, ‘It’s not a cat is it?’” Nick told the outlet.
Voirrey’s suspicions were correct, and the “awesome” airport staffers laughed with the couple once the Cooles realized it was a mistake, Manchester Evening News reports.
Nick explained that their black cat, named Candy, is always on the hunt for tight places to hide in, like bags and boxes, though they were stunned that she successfully hid in their bags for the airport.
"Our hand luggage didn’t have much in so we could bring shopping home. But Candy, our cat, found a way in and off to the airport we all went,” he said.
“We were totally shocked,” he told the Independent. “She must have snuck into the bag before we left for the airport, but we didn’t hear or feel her at all on the journey there.”
Fortunately, Voirrey’s father picked up Candy from the air hub, and is caring for her during the couple’s trip to the Big Apple.
It remains unclear at this time on what airline the couple was traveling. A spokesperson for the Isle of Man Airport was not immediately available to offer further comment.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Nick has since shared the silly story on Facebook, where it has gone viral with over 7,700 likes, 3,100 shares and more than 4,000 comments as of Tuesday morning.
“You know that feeling, when you get ushered into a side room at airport security because you’ve got a cat in your hand luggage,” he joked, detailing that the couple was able to catch their flight as planned.
In a larger sense, Voirrey revealed that Candy seems to dislike when her owners go away on vacation. The woman claimed that the curious cat once escaped their house and hitched a ride on a van--ultimately going missing for two weeks--while she was away in the Balearic Islands.
“[Candy] was sighted in a different town whilst I was in holiday in Majorca, and I had to phone my parents then to get them to catch her,” she said.
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS
Candy’s foolhardy feat, meanwhile, is hardly the first time an animal has caused a commotion during aerial travel.
In August, a stowaway bat caused a commotion and spooked passengers on a Spirit Airlines flight, while a bird flapped its way into the passenger-filled cabin of a Singapore Airlines flight last January.