Dubai: A cat on a flight from Dubai to London has gone missing.
Dubai-based Donna Louise Bailey told XPRESS that the cat, Dinky, belonged to her parents Susan, 65 and Ian Lees, 69, who were flying to the UK on Emirates flight EK 011 on July 27 when it went missing.
Separate carriers
She said, “My parents, who were in Dubai for five years, were returning to the UK for good. They had two cats – Dinky and Cleo – whom they were taking back with them. The two pets had been booked on SkyCargo and were in separate carriers. But when the flight reached London’s Gatwick Airport, they were shocked to find that only Cleo had made it. The other pet carrier also arrived but it was damaged at the hinges and Dinky was missing.”
Donna said Dinky is a year-and-a-half old, beige and brown in colour with blue eyes. She said, “No one seems to know what happened and or where to look for Dinky. From what we’ve been told, the cat was put on the plane.”
In reponse to an XPRESS query, Emirates SkyCargo said in a statement, “Emirates SkyCargo can confirm that a pet cat scheduled to travel on EK 011 to London Gatwick on July 27 was loaded in its cage into the cargo hold of the aircraft after mandatory checks and inspections in conformance with regulations concerning the transport of live animals. On arrival at London Gatwick, the cat was missing from its cage.”
It said, “During inspection it was found that one of the hinges of the cage was loose and that the door of the cage was slightly ajar. A thorough search of the cargo hold of the aircraft was conducted both at London Gatwick and at Dubai when the aircraft returned, however the cat was not traced. Emirates SkyCargo is extending all possible support to tracing and reuniting the cat with her owners.”
The family, which is frantically looking for Dinky, has even announced a reward of 500 pounds for anyone who finds the cat.
“All my parents want is to get Dinky back. They are not blaming anyone,” said Donna.
She said she had also approached Dubai Municipality to find out if Dinky’s chip had been reported but there was no news of it.
