Cat that snuck aboard 1,800 plus mile flight settles into new home

HOLDEN, Maine (WABI) - A C-17 cargo plane flying out of Travis Air Force Base in California landed in Bangor earlier this summer with an unexpected passenger.

“He apparently he caught a ride,” Kathryn Ravenscraft, Director of Development af the Bangor Humane Society, says. “They made a brief stop in Colorado Springs where they think they picked him up. Then when they landed in Bangor they discovered there was a half eaten muffin somewhere on board and a pile of poop.”

The Humane Society spent three weeks trying to find the cat’s owner in either California or Colorado with no success.

Nanci Hamlin and Justin Proulx, who both work at Bangor International Airport, offered to adopt.

“Let himself right out of the kennel and this was his house from that point on. He had no fear and the other cats were like ‘what is this and what is it in our house for'.”

Cargo joins fellow cats Oliver, Cameron, Ralph, and Stoops, who was also named based on where he was found. He's most comfortable around Akiko, a husky.

“Cargo and her are best friends. They instantly hit it off.” says Hamlin.

Justin and Nanci are still astonished how Cargo made his way to Maine.

"You can't just walk onto a military base and animals are frowned upon being on any sort of an airfield."

Cargo is brave and clever enough to board a military aircraft on his own but he’s still a little wary of strangers. He hid behind the laundry nearly the whole time I was there. I’m told usually he’s getting into trouble, climbing and crawling into places he probably shouldn’t.

“He’s all over the place.” says Hamlin.

The pilot of the plane expressed an interest in adopting Cargo, but then he was deployed. Justin and Nanci say they'll foster the cat until he returns and makes a decision.

If they do keep him, they plan to add his name to a crossword-style display that includes the names of all their other pets.

“It’s been fun watching him settle in with a family that clearly loves him.” says Ravenscraft.

Both Justin and Nanci encourage anyone who can provide a safe and loving home to adopt.

“It will definitely make your life better,” says Proulx.

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