Seattle woman reunited with cat after airline loses pet in baggage claim

A woman on an international flight to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport received quite a scare when the crate with her cat was delivered to her at baggage claim empty.

Charlie Swaneveld tells KIRO 7 she was flying home from Cairo, Egypt, with her cat, Cat Basha, in a crate with the rest of the luggage.

Cat Basha, who was a homeless street cat in Egypt, may have pushed the door of his crate enough to slip out, even with zip ties securing the crate.

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Cat Basha

Charlie -- who was flying with three cats: Cat Basha, Mango, and Plutonium-283 --- said she asked to see her cats when she stepped off the plane, and ground crews assured her everything was fine. She proceeded through customs and where she was handed the empty crate.

Authorities with the airport and airline searched for the cat, catching a glimpse of the furry escape artist on security cameras running around the airport.

Charlie says she provided airport staff with photos and even a voice recording of herself calling for her cat to aid them in their search.

After 24 hours of worrying, Charlie got the call she was waiting for.

Cat Basha was found in the back baggage area of the airport by a ground handling team and returned to Qatar Airlines to wait for Charlie.

Charlie wants people to know the airline and airport went above and beyond to rescue Cat and she really appreciates their efforts.

Cat Basha is now safely home with his two brothers.

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