Mikhail Galin took his cat Viktor on board an Aeroflot flight from Moscow to Vladivostok. According to Aeroflot’s rules, pets weighing more than 8kg (17lb) must be placed in the luggage hold. Since Mikhail didn’t want to put Viktor in the luggage hold, he came up with a unique plan.
He used a cat double that weighed less than 8kg to satisfy the airline’s requirements. Then he traded this cat double for Viktor at the gate so he could bring Viktor in the cabin with him. He would have gotten away with it except he bragged about his deed on social media, which got him punished by losing all of his frequent flyer miles.
Mikhail’s adventures simply highlight the lengths cat lovers will go to stay with their cats regardless of legalities. To learn more about the Russian cat that got smuggled aboard an airplane, click here.