If you have to smuggle something into anywhere, you know it’s wrong. Yeah, I’m talking about that food item you hid in your bag and snuck into the cinema.
It’s alright, I’m sure most of us have done it at least once in our lives.
But I bet you’ve never done this:
Russian Man Gets Airline Miles Taken Away After Smuggling Obese Cat On Plane
I don’t have a cat, but if I did I don’t think I’d smuggle it onto an aeroplane, especially if it was a fat cat. Where would I be bringing it anyway?
This Russian man does not share the same sentiment, and he was very proud of his insubordination. The result? Russia’s Aeroflot stripped the passenger of his airline miles.
His ‘Crime’
The Russian man had taken to social media to boast about how he successfully smuggled his fat cat on board? His master plan? He switched his fat cat for a slimmer cat during check-in.
Okay firstly. why does he have so many cats and where did it go after the fake ‘check-in’?
*Rains cats and… cats*
The mastermind behind this diabolical plan is named Mikhail Galin.
He wrote in a Facebook post about how his fat cat named Viktor (that’s disturbingly close to my colleague’s name, Victor) was found to be too obese and overweight to be brought onto the passenger cabin during a layover in Moscow.
His cat had apparently gained weight and could not make the trip from Latvia to his home in Vladivostok.
Hey, cats gain weight while on holiday too okay?
His cat weighed 10kg but the limit is 8kg.
Didn’t Want To Put His Cat In “Cold Luggage Hold”
However, he wasn’t about to let them put his precious Viktor into the cold luggage hold. He then made a “strategic decision to find a similar cat of a lower weight” in Moscow.
Practical solutions for a not-so-practical situation. But hey, it worked. Sort of.
He managed to check into business class without a hiccup. “The operation to switch Viktor the fat cat for Phoebe the miniature kitty was successful”.
He then posted a photo on Instagram of his fat, happy cat with a glass of bubbly.
Here’s a picture of Viktor living his best life:
Airline Launches Investigation
The airline quickly launched an investigation and found that he had indeed switched the fat cat for a slimmer cat as proven on CCTV.
They said, “Aeroflot has taken the decision to take this passenger out of its frequent flyer programme. All of the miles collected during his time in the programme will be annulled.”
He reportedly lost 400,000 miles.
The Straits Times reported that many Russians were angry about the decision and even claimed that they were fat-shaming poor furry Viktor.
Others expressed concerned that they might not be able to smuggle their fat cats onto planes in the future because this incident might prompt tighter security.
“Many of us often quietly flew around with our fat kitties, and now we won’t be able to.”
Wait, many people actually do this?
On the plus side, at least fat cat Viktor is safe, right?