Avishka Kaumadi had done everything right.
The paperwork was finished. The fees were paid. Her cat had been inspected and placed back in his carrier.
Then, after she had already passed through immigration at Dubai International Airport, her phone rang. Her cat was gone.
The Phone Call in Duty-Free
Kaumadi was flying home from Dubai to Sri Lanka on the night of October 11. Her flight was scheduled for 11 p.m.
Her cat, Chuuti, was traveling with her as air cargo.
She told Gulf News that she completed the documents, payment and inspection between about 8:30 and 9:25 that evening.
Chuuti’s details were checked against his paperwork. Then he went back into his carrier.
Kaumadi went through immigration and into the duty-free area to wait for her flight.
That’s when an airline staff member called her. Chuuti had escaped from his carrier.
“I Would Not Board the Flight Without My Cat”
She asked right away to go back and help search for him. She was told she needed permission first.
Then she was asked whether she would fly to Sri Lanka without him.
Her answer didn’t take long.
“I clearly told him that I would not board the flight without my cat,” she told Gulf News.
At around midnight, she was taken to the cargo area with a staff member.
For more than an hour, they walked through the dark, calling Chuuti’s name and trying to get his attention.
But the area was dark and the lighting was limited, she said. They couldn’t find him.
Kaumadi was taken back to the boarding area, where a room was arranged for her.
She stayed at the airport for about 28 hours, hoping for news.
Ten Long Days
On October 12, she went back to the airport to follow up on the search.
At one point, she was shown a white cat to see whether it was Chuuti. It wasn’t.
She was advised to go home to Sri Lanka while the search continued. Her contact details were taken so she could get updates.
That evening, she met a representative from the Dubai Airport Management Team.
According to Kaumadi, she was told that if Chuuti was found, arrangements could be made to send him to Sri Lanka, even if it took weeks.
So she flew home without him. And she waited.
Airport staff kept watch for him, she said, leaving food out all over in the hope of drawing him out.
Online, animal rescue communities in the UAE shared her appeals again and again, including the page @UAEanimalrescue.
“Chuuti is not just a pet to me,” she wrote on Facebook. “He is my beloved child, my family, and a piece of my heart.”
“The days without him have been among the most painful of my life.”
Found in the Baggage Area
Then, after 10 days, the news came. Chuuti had been found.
Sri Lankan outlet Aviation Voice reported that he was found inside a baggage carousel tunnel at Dubai International Airport.
Gulf News said the exact details of how and where he was found were not yet available. But Kaumadi said he had gotten very dirty down in the baggage area of Terminal 1.
“Today, I am grateful that my beloved Chuuti has been found,” she wrote. “Words cannot fully express the emotions I feel.”
She thanked SriLankan Airlines, dnata and Dubai International Airport for their efforts.
She also thanked everyone who had shared her posts, called, or simply sent kind words.
“Every prayer, every message, every phone call, and every word of kindness gave me strength when I felt like I had none left,” she wrote.
He Answered in His Own Voice
Chuuti was flown home to Sri Lanka. And finally, Kaumadi got the moment she’d been waiting for.
“When I went up to him and spoke to him, he answered me in his own voice,” she told Gulf News.
“He is doing very well and seems very happy. He recognised me.”
Ten days on his own had taken a toll, though. He had lost weight because he hadn’t been eating.
When she spoke to Gulf News, they were in the car on the way to the vet for a checkup.
She shared photos from that ride. Chuuti looking out the window. Chuuti curled up, soaking in all the cuddles he’d missed.
In a Facebook post to her cat, she summed it up in one line.
“You had the entire Dubai looking out for you.”
If you ever fly with a pet, a few simple steps can help. Make sure their carrier is secure, their microchip details are up to date, and you have recent photos ready to share.
And if a pet goes missing far from home, don’t give up. Sometimes the whole world is looking with you.
