A cat that escaped her carrier and has been roaming around New York’s JFK Airport for the last week was captured early Saturday morning.
Police said that Pepper the cat was finally coaxed out of her hiding place after her owner’s neighbor was enlisted to help the Port Authority with the problem.
The neighbor, Nuan Tang, said that she had periodically cared for Pepper while the owner was out of town and was able to refer to the elusive feline’s Mandarin moniker.
The neighbor, Nuan Tang (Bottom Right), said that she had periodically cared for Pepper while the owner was out of town and was able to refer to the cat’s Chinese name
Around 1.30am on Saturday morning, Tang was accompanied by the Port Authority through the international terminal and began bellowing out the cat’s Chinese name, Dai Meng, which loosely translated means ‘little nerd.’
‘She started screaming at me, like “Where have you been?” Tang, 30, told the Daily News. ‘It looked like she was waiting for me.’
After offering the cat a little bit a food, Tang and Port Authority police were able to lure the pesky pet back into carrier it escaped from.
Police said that Pepper the cat was finally coaxed out of her hiding place after her owner’s neighbor was enlisted to help the Port Authority with the problem
According to the Daily News, Pepper’s owner was relocating from Jersey City, New Jersey to China and was bringing her beloved cat along with her on the morning of April 20.
But after checking into her flight, Pepper’s carrier became dislodged after falling off a trolley, sending her scurrying away into the bowels of the airport.
The 29-year-old owner initially cancelled her flight and stayed behind to look for Pepper, but eventually was forced to leave the cat behind.
Employees at the airport would periodically see the frisky feline around 3am, scavenging for food.
Kameel Juman, the Port Authority police officer who led the search, made sure the Pepper wouldn’t get out of the carrier again.
After offering the cat a little bit a food, Tang and Port Authority police were able to lure the pesky pet back into carrier it escaped from
Pepper’s owner was relocating from Jersey City, New Jersey to China and was bringing her beloved cat along with her on the morning of April 20
‘I grabbed some duct tape and sealed up the cat carrier,’ the 15-year PAPD veteran laughed. ‘We were not losing this cat again.’
Tang later told the Daily News that the black and white tabby known as ‘little nerd’ is recovering at her home and is being taken care of until her owner can come back and claim her.
‘She’s doing good,’ said Tang. ‘She’s eating but she’s not sleeping all that well. She’ll wake up and walk around and then try to sleep again.’
Tang said that the owner is ‘super excited’ that her cat was safe and sound and is looking forward to their reunion.
Juman was happy to hear that Pepper’s story had a happy ending.
‘We couldn’t have done it without all the workers at the airport that spotted her through the week,’ said Juman.
‘The pigeon population in the terminal declined when she was there,’ he joked.