Taking a pet on a flight is always nerve-wracking, especially on a flight to another country. Airports are always hubs of activity, and we expect things like luggage to get lost occasionally. But losing a cat with no trace, which was secured inside a secured carrier? Unfortunately, that’s what happened to the family of a partially sighted kitten named Rodri.
But Rodri’s family are among the most determined people we’ve ever seen in finding her again. Or, at least, simply learning the truth.
Mary with her beloved rescued kitten, Rodri. Images and media via Instagram/ diemiezwohnung and TikTok/cats.of.lefka.ori_
Rodri Went Missing on March 8
Rodri was a very lucky kitten under one year old when Alyssa Kopp and her mother, Mary Gomes Kopp, rescuers from Germany on the Greek island of Crete, found her in September 2023.
Mary with rescued cat in Greece. Images and media via Instagram/ diemiezwohnung and TikTok/cats.of.lefka.ori_
While visiting, Alyssa spotted the kitten trying to survive in a trash pile. After taking her in, the family quickly fell in love with the sweet and petite kitten.
Sadly, one eye was gone, and the kitten’s remaining eye was cloudy with infection.
Taking a vet’s advice, they planned a flight to Alyssa’s home in Munich, where the kitten could receive expert care for her remaining eye at an animal hospital.
On the day of the flight, March 8 2024, Gomes Kopp and her husband loaded Rodri, along with two other rescued kitties, into crates secured with cable ties and screws. To cover the flight, they paid a hefty price of 360 euros ($390) for all three cats. But while two cats made it from Chania, Greece to the next stop in Athens, Rodri went missing.
Kopp, who traveled alone, said the airline employee showed her a broken carrier with no Rodri inside. Had she gotten loose from the hole in the carrier? Kopp says the airport boarding staff “showed no compassion and even mocked her” as she tried to figure out what to do next.
A troubled Mary had to make a decision to board the next flight to Munich. Ever since then, the family hasn’t found out what became of the sweet kitten they had fallen in love with. But they have mounted an impressive campaign to find out.
Video via YouTube/#WhereisRodri
You can see more on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube
video via Instagram/diemiezwohnung
Months of Endless Searching for Rodri
Ever since Rodri went missing, the family has refused to give up. Besides posting on social media, they’ve also contacted police, animal welfare organizations, and newspapers.
Incredibly, Mary has even flown eight times to search public areas and an aircraft loading area in Chania in person. Multiple tips led to setting up an animal trap, but it didn’t catch Rodri. As a nice gesture, Aegean Airlines covered three of the flights. However, Kopp says that communications since then have abruptly stopped.
Chania airport and a ground handling company, Goldair Handling, told CNN they would investigate to prevent similar incidents in the future. But an email from Aegean Airlines suggests the cats boarded in Chania. However, after arrival in Athens, a ramp agent saw the damaged crate with one missing cat.
“The email said that airline staff had searched both airports and the plane itself, as well as laying humane traps at an (unspecified) airport and circulating a photo of Rodri to Chania airport employees. That email was dated March 13. The airline has not replied to the family since then, despite them flagging potential sightings. It has also emerged that Aegean Airlines failed to alert Athens airport of a potential missing cat,” CNN reported.
Now, on July 22, 2024, the family still has no answers for what happened to Rodri or where. Yet they are not going to stop until they find out despite what they describe as “an agonizing battle.”
“In Athens, Mary, one of Rodri’s owners, was confronted only with a broken box, clueless about Rodri’s fate. In Chania and also in Athens, blame was tossed back and forth, leaving us heartbroken and ignored,” they wrote on Instagram.
‘We Hope to Finally Find Out the Truth’
As we know, cat lovers are among the most loyal, determined, and fierce people on the planet. So we advise all those involved to provide this family the answers and closure they are looking for.
“Why are there no security recordings? What happened that day? Who were the employees on that day? Just a few unanswered questions on my part. We hope to finally find out the truth,” they asked on Instagram.
A Care2 petition has gathered over 62,018 supporters to date. Meanwhile, a GoFundMe has raised €3,460 for a professional search and potential legal action. The family also wants to help other pet owners who are faced with similarly heartbreaking situations. During their campaign, they have disturbingly learned of many others who have lost pets aboard airlines.
