Jack (cat)

Jack (c. 2005 – November 6, 2011) was a Norwegian forest cat who was lost on August 25, 2011 by American Airlines baggage handlers at John F. Kennedy International Airport before Hurricane Irene.[1][2] A campaign called "Jack the Cat is Lost in AA Baggage at JFK" was started by animal lovers to help find him, with over 24,000 Friends of Jack joining the associated Facebook page. Almost two months after he went missing, the campaign designated October 22 "Jack the Cat Awareness Day". The cat was found shortly afterwards on October 25 but was severely dehydrated and malnourished after his 61-day ordeal.[3] Due to infection and injury, Jack was euthanized on November 6, 2011.[4][5]

Jack
SpeciesFelis catus
BreedNorwegian forest cat
SexMale
Bornc. 2005-2006 (adopted 2008)
DiedNovember 6, 2011 (aged 5/6)
New York City
OwnerKaren Pascoe

Disappearance

The clerk responsible for transporting the kennels to the FIS area loaded one kennel on top of another, and while the kennels were stationary and waiting to be loaded on the aircraft, the kennel positioned on the top fell to the ground. The impact of the fall caused the kennel to separate and the cat escaped.[6]

The entire FIS area, where this occurred, was searched and efforts to immediately locate “Jack” were unsuccessful. Subsequent efforts to locate Jack have also been unsuccessful. Some of the efforts taken by AA to locate Jack include: posting photos of Jack in key areas around JFK and local businesses, consulting with the Mayor’s Alliance Society to set up humane traps on the airport property, consulting with the port authority and wildlife management representatives, hiring a professional “pet tracker” and issuing a “Pet Amber Alert”.[6]

However, despite all of the appearances of searching that AA put up, in reality little was done to actually find the cat. Their plan was to "starve him out" so that he would leave the ceiling, and they did indeed succeed; that plan resulted in his death, however. AA also continually deleted posts from their Facebook page and banned people from commenting, as they attempted to cover up the incident.[7]

Discovery

On October 25, 61 days later, Jack fell through the ceiling in the customs area.[8]

Death

Jack's death was announced on Facebook:

It is with tears that I must tell you that Jack has gone over the rainbow bridge. (continued in 1st comment) He was with Karen yesterday, and his condition was worsening. He was treated overnight, and she (and I) both had extensive conversations with the vets at Blue Pearl (BluePearl Veterinary Partners) regarding his condition. Jack had extensive wounds on the back of his body, and the wounds were unable to heal because his skin had deteriorated due to the malnutrition that occurred while he was lost. Despite antibiotics, the infections were worsening, and his skin was continuing to deteriorate. He needed surgery to treat the wounds, but there was not enough available skin to close the wounds after the surgery. The vet compared his skin condition to having severe burns over 50-60% of his body. The vet was very clear that she had conferred with every possible doctor regarding options for Jack, but none of them left him with a substantial chance of survival and all of them involved him suffering. Jack had been through so much, and the last thing anyone wanted was for him to suffer more. Jack was bathed in love and crossed over just a few minutes ago.

See also

References
  1. "UPDATE: Jack The Cat, JFK Lost Cat, Stranded At Airport During Irene, American Airlines Launches Search", Global Pulse, Huffington Post, August 31, 2011, retrieved November 15, 2011
  2. Kirchner, Elyce. "Airline Animal Deaths Raise Concern". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
  3. "Lost 'Jack The Cat' Finally Found At New York's JFK Airport", Global Pulse, Huffington Post, October 26, 2011, retrieved November 15, 2011
  4. Susman, Tina (October 22, 2011), "Cat lost by American Airlines gains fame as search continues", Nation Now, LA Times, retrieved November 11, 2011
  5. "'Jack The Cat' Dies After 2 Months At Airport", Global Pulse, Huffington Post, November 7, 2011, retrieved November 15, 2011
  6. "DOT PET INCIDENT REPORT". Archived from the original on April 15, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  7. What I Learned from Jack, Part II: Facebook Is a Force to Be Reckoned With… Except When It’s Not. « Where is Jack?
  8. Baskas, Harriet "Jack the cat dies after getting lost at JFK." MSNBC. Accessed November 2011.
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