‘I’d pay extra for this’: Absolutely no one is complaining about their flight’s invasion by an unexpected passenger

When it comes to traveling, most people have a tendency to flip the script on life and enjoy the destination much more than the journey. The airport time crunch can be stressful, there’s no guarantee that your seat neighbor will be pleasant, and even after you’ve touched down, there’s a chance you’ll get slammed in the face with jet lag if your trip was a horizontal one.

But even then, some journeys come packaged in the most delightful set dressing possible, to the point where you may even find yourself feeling nostalgic for sitting in an airplane. TikTok‘s @emehry found herself on one such flight recently, and it was all thanks to a certain passenger who was determined to smuggle cuteness out of whatever country he came from.

What else is there to say? It’s a kitty that’s shuffling around the airport cabin, much to the unfettered delight of just about everyone he crosses paths with after jumping out of his owner’s arms. In all likelihood, this sky-high feline is an emotional support animal, and his escape into this jungle of carpet and leather was probably quite stressful for the owner.

Indeed, beyond the lack of safety that this unfamiliar environment would pose to the kitty, it’s entirely possible that someone on that plane could have had an allergy, which could have led to a reaction, which could have led to a mild-to-severe commotion. And if there’s anything that airline passengers dread more than mild-to-severe commotions, it’s being the cause of them.

Nevertheless, the comments section was firmly Team Sky Cat. For many of these folks, life was no longer complete until they also got an opportunity to pet a rogue kitty during a flight, with one MVP commenter suggesting that they’d pay extra to have a complimentary cabin cat join them on their next journey. Others were convinced that this cat was the pilot, because this is the internet.

In any case, these folks will be happy to know that these situations aren’t as uncommon as one may think, even if it’s unlikely to get to the point where the cat is traveling around the cabin. According to NerdWallet, small pets are usually allowed to travel in the cabin with their owners, so long as they can fit in a carrier that will squeeze under the seat. This counts as a carry-on bag, and each plane is only capable of welcoming so many pets on board (which, rude), but it’s typically the cheapest option when it comes to traveling with your furbabies.

Of course, the proceedings we see above are what we like to call a “best case scenario,” in which the kitty manages to spring itself from the confines of its carrier and make as many friends as possible before the attendants decide to put on their Fun Police hats and escort him back to his owner. Perhaps one day society will advance enough for us to seriously discuss the very important issue of pet representation in the average airline cabin, but for now, experiences like Em’s are firmly confined to a lottery of sorts.