Jack the Cat, Lost by American Airlines
Published August 31, 2011
Jack the Cat, a cat lost by American Airlines, raises issues about airlines' ability to transport animals.
Last Thursday afternoon, owner Karen Pascoe and her feline friends, Jack the Cat and Barry, were supposed to be being transported from New York's JFK International Airport to California. Before her flight even took off, however, Pascoe received a call saying that her cat Jack was lost; he had gone missing in the baggage claim area.
Since that point in time, Pascoe has been relentless in her search for her cat. Starting a Facebook page that has quickly (as the L.A. Times points out) transformed into a bit of a phenomenon, Pascoe has accrued a number of followers who have all assisted her in putting pressure on American Airlines to help find her missing cat.
This latest story re-raises past concerns about airlines having issues transporting animals.
Pascoe's original and unorthodox means of putting pressure on American Airlines seems to be working.
She has already received direct responses from American Airlines via their Facebook page regarding the status of the search for Jack.
Additionally, they have even gone on to invite Pascoe back out to New York to help assist in the search.
What do you think about Pascoe's relentless and unorthodox search for her missing cat? Would you do the same? Do you think Jack will eventually be found?
Let us know what you think about this story in a comment!
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Comments (12)
While I wouldn't transport my pets by cargo, I'm sure Karen Pascoe put her trust in AA. I'm sure she wasn't thrilled with this option, but moving across country isn't easy. I do, however, put blame on the Airline for this one. I'm guessing they put the cat in a special carrier, and whether they didn't secure the latch or perhaps they mishandled the carrier.. I feel like something went wrong on their part, considering the cat went missing before having made the plane. I really hope Jack is okay and makes his way back home to Karen again. It's too bad it takes something like this to question the safety of pet cargo. Makes me very sad.
This is in no way meant to make Karen feel any worse, and I hope she finds her lost cat. I have 2 cats. I would be too scared to put them in cargo. (pressure control, delays, etc are other possible problems.) While one of my cats could possibly be small enough to take as carry-on, the other is large, and wouldn't fit in a small carrier. I don't remember what it's called, but there's a service out there that only flies pets...I would pay the extra money just for peace of mind. Pets are irreplaceable.
I would never transport my cats in cargo -- there are just too many stories like this. If this had been a lost child, AA would have been all over it, but since it was "just a cat," they didn't bother. For many of us, our pets ARE our family, as precious to us as children. If the airline had acted immediately, it is likely he could have been found.
The upsetting thing is that for FIVE days they did not do ANYTHING to help find Jack. It took the public outcry on social media that finally got picked up by mainstream media outlets to get them to pay attention.
For FIVE DAYS they did not look at the tapes, get a tracking dog or even have humane traps out! I truly hope they find that sweet cat.
Also, it upsets me when people feel we have to chose between caring about humans and animals. No one said people aren't important. We just feel our 4-legged babies are too!
Tamar - I HAVE CAT, single in the city, with cat (s)
http://www.ihavecat.com