Man Pays $150 to Bring a Stray Cat Home He Found at the Chicago Airport

A man recently returned home from a trip to Chicago with the souvenir of a lifetime. Virgil Wiebe told NBC Chicago how he had been waiting to catch a flight home after missing a connecting flight when he found a stray kitten.

Wiebe was smoking a pre-flight cigar in the park outside of one of the terminals when the unlikely encounter happened. He told the outlet how he spent some time looking around for the kitten’s mom, since the orange tabby appeared to be just about 3 weeks old and too young to be on his own.

When he couldn’t find the kitten’s mother, he brought him into the airport with him and approached a TSA agent with his new furry friend. The agent revealed that the airport had never dealt with something like this, and it took a moment for Wiebe to figure out what he should do.

But once he decided what to do, he knew there would be no separating him and his new furbaby, Macanudo O’Hare. Now, Wiebe is home, and the family has completely fallen in love with “Harry.” Wiebe says they are all so happy that a chance encounter led to such a happy ending.

Wiebe Had to Think on His Feet

With his flight about to board, Wiebe had to act fast so that he could get himself and the new kitten home safely. He told NBC News that he ended up using DoorDash to get the supplies he needed to fly with the kitten, which included a kennel and some formula.

He also revealed that he needed to pay an additional fee to United Airlines for the kitten, which set him back $150. But it sounds like it was a price that Wiebe was more than willing to pay. “He’s just a joyful little thing,” Wiebe said while holding the kitten during the interview. “You know, it’s so coincidental how it all happened.”

What Should You Do if You Find a Stray Kitten

Wiebe’s situation was clearly an unusual one given the fact that he was about to board a plane, potentially leaving the kitten to fend for himself. However, under more traditional circumstances, the Oakland Animal Services website says that you should wait for a little while before interacting with a kitten that appears to be abandoned. 

Sometimes the mama cat is just off searching for food for herself and plans to return to continue to care for her baby. That said, the website notes that sometimes you have to react quickly, especially in bad weather, if there are other wild animals around that could hurt the kitten, or if the kitten is located somewhere dangerous, like near a roadway.

It sounds like the cat distribution system worked out in this case, and both Harry and Wiebe are both better off after running into one another that fateful day.