ORLANDO, Fla. – An Ohio woman had an unexpected surprise in her bags while flying to Orlando for a Disney vacation.
Sometime Monday, Bob-bob the cat found his way into Ethel Maze's suitcase, made it through screening at Port Columbus International Airport and was loaded into an airplane for a flight to Orlando.
"Well I'm just amazed that he made it. because when I found him he was just covered in perspiration," Maze said.
The black cat popped out when Maze unzipped her bag after checking into her hotel Monday night. Maze, of Circleville, Ohio, says the 14-month-old cat was shaken but still purring.
"I thought how in the world did this happen?" Maze told Local 6. " She said I had such a strange look on my face she knew something was wrong and I said, 'you'll never guess what's in here.'"
Maze was part of a group of disabled veterans and volunteers making an annual trip to Orlando.
Mike Groleau, who handled the bags for the group, says he thought he saw the bag move, but loaded it along with the other bags heading to Orlando.
"It was early in the morning- I thought my mind was playing tricks on me," said Groleau. "It never even dawned on me."
Bob-bob's trip back will be in a pet carrier, costing the owners $65.
Local 6 reached out to TSA to find out how the cat made it past luggage screening. A spokesman said the technology used to screen bags is programmed to pick out explosives and weapons, but not animals.