Frequent-Flier Feline Reunited With Her Owner

A cat-astrophe was averted Tuesday when Tabitha, the celebrated flying feline, was found aboard a 747 jet--12 days and 30,000 miles after disappearing on a Los Angeles-bound flight.

“I called her and called her, and all of a sudden, she cried back,” said the cat’s owner, Carol Ann Timmel, after coaxing the tabby from the jet’s cargo area.

“This is the happiest day of my life. I thought I’d never see her again.”

Timmel carried her long-lost cat off the Tower Air plane at Kennedy International Airport in New York on Tuesday morning--several hours after the airline, under threat of a lawsuit from the owner, agreed to ground the jet for one final search.

As befits such a story, Tabitha was found with the aid of a psychic. After forging a feline frame of mind, psychic Christa Carl pinpointed the drop ceiling in the cargo area as the place the cat had recently taken up residence.

“A psychic told her where the cat was, and lo and behold, that is where the cat was,” veterinarian Dr. Keith Manning said. “So go figure.”

Manning said the cat survived because the cargo hold in which she had hidden was temperature-controlled. Nonetheless, he said, the cat was dehydrated and hungry: Her weight had dropped from eight pounds to six, and she appeared to be suffering from jet lag--an ailment for which the veterinarian prescribed “a catnap.”

Timmel, an aspiring actress, was moving from New York to Los Angeles on June 30 when Tabitha escaped from her cargo crate. Tabitha’s sister, Pandora, remained in her box.

Tabitha logged 30,000 miles, zipping from New York to Los Angeles, New York to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and New York to Miami, and became a kitty cause celebre.

Everyone from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to psychics joined in the search. The New York Post ran a daily “cat watch.”

Tower Air conducted numerous searches. Cat traps were baited with fresh tuna, but the finicky 3-year-old didn’t show. She prefers dry food. “We tore the inside of the airplane apart,” said Nick Lacey, Tower Air vice president for operations in New York.

Timmel filed a suit to force the airline to conduct a thorough search, but dropped it when the airline agreed to ground the plane for 24 hours.

The plane was taken to a quiet area and Timmel was allowed to go in and call out for her kitty.

“The cat just started meowing,” Lacey said.

Tower is flying Timmel and Tabitha home for free on Thursday. The cat will be in Timmel’s lap, Manning said.

Tabitha was found one day after Carnival Air Lines announced a frequent-flier program for pets. Seriously.

But, said Timmel, “Once I get her to L.A., she’s never going to fly again.”

A purr-fect ending.