A cat pooped on an airplane. What happened next sparked a viral airline saga.
If you're a pet owner, then you know what it's like to be in an awkward situation. After all, our animals don't always abide by rules or social graces. That’s exactly the predicament X user @barelyalex found themselves in when their cat had an unfortunate accident on an airplane.
On Dec. 29, they posted a thread about the ordeal that has since racked up hundreds of thousands of likes and impressions. The first viral post read: "Put a finger down if ur kitten pooped in his carrier on the plane bc he got scared of a rough landing & the crew was so angry about the smell that they kicked u off ur next flight and left u in a random city for 12 hrs and now ur rationing cat litter & food in a family bathroom."
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After the initial post took off online, they posted a much more detailed account on the incident. Tagging Southwest Airlines in the post, the user claimed that her kitten had pooped in his carrier after getting scared during a rough landing. Since they had a quick connecting flight, they rushed to clean up the mess in the airplane bathroom but chose to throw all the mess away in a trash bin over concerns paper towels wouldn't flush.
That might've been the key mistake because, apparently, the smell really lingered.
According to @barelyalex, they informed the flight attendants about the issue, only to realize they would be re-boarding the same plane for the next leg of their trip. They claimed the new flight crew was much less understanding, going so far as to shut down the bathroom due to the smell. Ultimately, the crew allegedly removed @barelyalex and their kitten from the connecting flight.
You can see the full post in detail.
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@barelyalex noted that Southwest Airlines provided a $200 travel voucher for a future flight, and they were eventually rebooked on a much later flight with an additional connection. Despite the ordeal, they made it to their final destination without any other major accidents — albeit many hours later.
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Mashable reached out to both @barelyalex and Southwest Airlines for further details but have not yet received a response.