"Airport security were all very puzzled and repeatedly asked if the bag was ours after it has been through the scanner," Nick Coole said.
ADVERTISEMENTA UK couple was surprised to be taken aside by airport security who had found a furry stowaway in their luggage.
Nick Coole was travelling from the Isle of Man to New York with his wife Voirrey to celebrate his 40th birthday.
"Our hand luggage didn’t have much in so we could bring shopping home," Nick told Euronews.
But far from remaining empty, one of the couple's three cats, Candy, found her way into their bags.
"Airport security were all very puzzled and repeatedly asked if the bag was ours after it had been through the scanner," Nick added.
After the couple had been taken into a private room, Voirrey realised it could be their pet that was causing all the drama.
"I bet it's the cat," she exclaimed, "it’s the only thing it could be."
Like many felines, Candy "loves to get into bags or boxes, any kind of tight space," Nick said.
Luckily, the couple was still able to catch their flight to the Big Apple once the mystery had been resolved.
Staff at the airport were "awesome" and helped organise for Candy to return home, according to her owners.
The Cooles shared news of Candy's adventure on Facebook, which received a flurry of responses from fellow cat owners.
The post had 3,400 comments and 2,100 shares at the time of writing.
Nick said he was surprised by how viral it had gone: "We had no idea it would be picked up like it has been," he said.