Of course, both are matters of personal preference, with strong arguments to be made for either side, but, every so often, the worlds of aviation and pets collide, occasionally resulting in cat-astrophic consequences.

A Maine coon cat named Mittens clocked up some serious air miles this month after being left on an Air New Zealand flight and accidentally flown to Australia and back. Mittens’ owner, Margo Neas, described the events as “both distressing and unacceptable” after paying $1948 to have her feline flown to Australia.

A baggage handler didn't spot Mittens' cage when it was blocked by a wheelchair on arrival in Melbourne Mittens the cat has clocked up lots of extra air miles after mistakenly flying between New Zealand and Australia three times in 24 hours.