Ozzy the cat stows away on plane, clocks up 63,000 air miles

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Ozzy the cat stows away on plane, clocks up 63,000 air miles (94,000 kms) Fri Jul 19, 7:11 AM ET

LONDON - Ozzy the flying feline clocked up 63,000 miles (94,000 kms) in 10 days after escaping from his cage on a flight from the Gulf state of Qatar to London and stowing away in the jet's tail.

Jonathan Boyd and Katie Deacon, who adopted Ozzy while working in the Qatari capital, Doha, paid 220 pounds (dlrs 330) to fly him back to Britain on their return.

But when they arrived in London, they were told that he had gone missing from his cage somewhere between Doha and a stopover in Bahrain. British Airways staff searched everywhere, and even put up posters of the white and orange-flecked cat in Bahrain and Doha.

"We were pretty upset about it and I got angry — how the hell can a cat disappear? We were told there was nowhere he could go," said Boyd, 26.

Ten days after Ozzy went missing, he was found on the same plane, having made the 6,300-mile (9,400-km) round trip between Qatar and London every day during his solo adventure.

"We were told he got out and got into the rear cargo hold and into the tail of the plane," Boyd said. "When they found him he was actually black with all the oil and grime on him. He was very skinny and very nervous as well. He is a very lucky cat."

Airport officials believe 1-year-old Ozzy survived by snacking on airport workers' sandwiches when they were unloading the plane.

"We are obviously concerned that Ozzy was able to escape from his cage but we are relieved and happy he has been reunited with his owners," said an airline spokeswoman. "He was certainly looked for thoroughly — our team out there did their very best, but if a cat wants to hide it will."

-- Anonymous, July 19, 2002


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