Cat Survives 11 Days In Airport Ceiling, Reunited With Owner
Oh, thank goodness! This ceiling cat must have been blessed by the ceiling cat itself to have made it through this traumatic situation! For those who have cats, you can imagine that flying with them would be one of the most stressful situations imaginable. Not just for the cats, but for us as well. And as their owners, we can't help but share their stress and pain.
When Taylor Le was preparing to move across the country, from New York to Orange County, California, she of course was going to fly with her 6-year-old cat, Muji. The flight was scheduled to fly on Christmas Eve. As Taylor Le went through the security checkpoint at La Guardia Airport, the TSA agents had her remove Muji from her carrier. Taylor Le tried to persuade the agents otherwise, knowing that if Muji was outside her carrier, she would be liking to flee. Regardless of Taylor Le's protests, Muji was removed from her carrier, panicked, and fleed.
Le told The Post about the pending cat-astrophe, "I said, 'She's gonna run. Do I have to take her out?' We walked through the metal detector and she got spooked, bit me, freaked out, and ran off." They told her yes.
The flee led her owner, and airport staff, on a wild goose chase that ended when Muji climbed up a series of platforms to a ceiling enclosure and then vanished within them. In the following days, the airport staff tried to lure out Muji with cans of tuna, and Taylor Le changed her flight for the following day, in hopes of finding Muji in time, but she didn't and boarded the flight to Orange County, completely distraught.
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Muji, was rescued frim a South Brooklyn Feral colony four year prior, “I saw her little face on a Craigslist ad and I was like, I need to meet this cat," Le told The Post. Days passed and the airport officials had no updates about Muji.
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Le then went to Facebook and made a plea for help. Soon after, she was contacted by the safe pet-flying advocacy group Where Is Jack? Inc., named in memory of a orange tabby who escaped from his kennel at JFK Airport in 2011, survived there for 2 months -
before succumbing to his injuries after have fallen through the ceiling.
Montana State faculty member Mary Beth Melchior, Ph.D., who co-founded 'Where Is Jack?' told The Post, "The Queens Lost & Found got notified about [Muji] being lost. Our people monitor that on Facebook The two Bonnies, they know who to call, what to do on the ground — they went into action." The two Bonnies being two fellow animal lovers who both happen to be named Bonnie.
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With this Facebook group's involvement, they got the airport's permission to bring Abby, a golden retriever tracking dog who managed to confirm that Muji was still in the ceiling!
With this Facebook group's involvement, they got the airport's permission to bring Abby, a golden retriever tracking dog who managed to confirm that Muji was still in the ceiling!
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With the confirmation of Muji still being in the ceiling, Taylor Le immediately booked a flight back to New York. On Monday night, 11 days after the ordeal first began, a Muji-rescue team member sent Le a video, a trap was laid out and Muji was captured.
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“I started crying. It was a miracle," said Le. From there Muji was taken to an animal hospital in Long Island, it was there that Le was finally reunited with Muji. “She looked completely shell-shocked” but otherwise physically alright," said Le.
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On Saturday, Le and Muji are again booked to fly to Orange County together. However, this time Le has a TSA harness ready for Muji and is going to ask for a private screening.
And while this experience was definitely a traumatic one, Le believes the experience overall strengthen her and Muji's bond. Le's final words on the subject being, "The first year-and-a-half I had her, she wouldn't let me touch her, but then she started trusting me more and I was like, thank goodness I kept you. Every time I go on a trip and come back she's a little bit upset, but she's closer to me after that. It's amazing."
We are so incredibly happy for you and Muji, Taylor Le! And so thankful for this happy ending.
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