‘Bring my tigger home’
By Matt • Jun 11th, 2008 • Category: Cat News Heartache for a Dublin family as pet disappears at airport.
A Dublin family is distraught after their beloved pet cat went missing moments prior to a flight to Switzerland. The pet detective Robert Kenny is leading the search for the tabby cat focused around the loading area in Dublin airport.
The cat went missing last Wednesday prior to being put on a Swiss Air flight to Zurich. The cat was due to be placed on a connecting flight to Germany.
Shane Corrigan, his wife Mara Stolz and their 21-month-old daughter Eva are moving from Blackrock to Germany and they wanted to take their cat with them.
After much cost and preparations with vaccinations and paperwork on June 4, ‘Tigger’ was ready to fly to Germany.
Mr Corrigan arrived at Dublin Airport at 8am and handed the cat over to the cargo company and his wife was set to collect to the cat when he arrived at the final destination.
But thirty minutes before the 11am Swiss Air flight to Zurich was due to take off, Mr Corrigan got a call to say ‘Tigger’ was missing.
Mr Corrigan had handed over his black striped cat to Menzies Aviation who packaged him up. According to Menzies Aviation spokesperson, John Gedes, the tabby was with them until they handed his cage over to Sky handling. That company then had to put ‘Tigger’ through a security check. He was in the cage at that stage but it seems the cat went missing between leaving the cargo area and being loaded on to the plane. There was no one available at Sky handling to make a comment yesterday evening.
“We’re moving to Germany and we’ve had the cat for two years or so,” said Mr Corrigan who returned from Germany yesterday to continue his search for the cat.
“He was a stray and we got him when he was four months old.”
“Eva my daughter and the cat have grown up together,” he said. “Tigger was her first word.”
The father of one said they were bringing the cat to Germany for their daughter and since he went missing the toddler has been calling for the cat.
“The issue is that the cat left the cargo area but it wasn’t noticed that he was missing until he was going up in the lift to the plane,” said Mr Corrigan who added that they have been searching an area a mile and a half long.
“Robert the pet detective has been working out here tirelessly for several days,” he said.
He has to be accompanied on the tarmac when he is looking for the cat but has been allowed to set humane traps to catch him.
“There are confirmed sightings in the area,” said Mr Corrigan who is hopeful the ‘Tigger’ will be found.