A woman from Surrey, B.C. is blaming Air Canada for losing a Blue Scottish Fold cat she bought for $1,200.
Amanda Stewart expected to receive Chester on May 21 after the cat's breeder dropped him off in a cargo cage at Montreal-Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport for transportation to Vancouver, CBC News reported.
"The cage was secured by the breeder as well as Air Canada employees. They checked the cages over," Stewart told CBC's Daybreak.
But she received a phone call telling her not go to the airport because the cat was gone. The door to Chester's cage somehow came loose and allowed him to escape, she was told.
Both Stewart and the breeder believe the cage was either dropped, or opened so that someone could steal the cat, Montreal's CJAD 800 reported.
Whatever happened, Stewart wishes Air Canada had taken more action to stop Chester from taking off.
"We wish Air Canada would have put a little bit more effort into finding the cat, and been more up to talking to us more and letting us know exactly what they were doing," she told the radio station.
For its part, the airline says it is working hard to find Chester. It has laid out traps with sardines, circulated pictures of the feline to staff, and alerted other airports, said CBC.
It also sent employees to check backyards near the Montreal airport and even dispatched a falcon unit to look for him.
Stewart has wanted a Blue Scottish Fold since she was young and spent about two months trying to obtain Chester after her own cat died last year, CP24 reported.
Chester's breeder refunded her the $1,200 and said she could just send the money back if the cat is found.
Air Canada claims that it's rare for an animal to escape during transit, but this isn't the first time.
An Italian greyhound named Larry went missing last year as it was being transported from Sacramento, Calif. to Campbell River, B.C. The dog ran away from the airline's employees at San Francisco International Airport.
Larry later died after he was reportedly hit by a car.
Check out photos of Chester, the Scottish fold cat:
Like this article? Follow our Facebook pageOr follow us on TwitterFollow @HuffPostBC