A cat smuggled onto a cruise ship has a new home, and it almost ended very badly for one cat.
According to Royal Caribbean International CEO Michael Bayley, a guest smuggled on a cat on Ovation of the Seas. They aren't quite sure how it was brought onboard, but it was discovered on the ship.
Ovation of the Seas was sailing from Hawaii to Australia on a sailing in October.
"Meet Ovie! The cat smuggled onboard Ovation of the Seas by a guest!", Bayley wrote on his Facebook page.
Mr. Bayley thinks perhaps the cat was able to be brought onboard in a sweatshirt in order to evade security measures
"We assume he must have been sedated or something and he wouldn't beep, since Ovie isn't metal," Bayley wrote.
Per customs rules, the cat wasn't allowed off the ship in Australia or New Zealand.
Biosecurity agents from New Zealand found Ovie in a guest’s cabin, but Royal Caribbean International declined to identify the traveler.
Other than service animals, pets aren't allowed on Royal Caribbean ships. Emotional support animals have been banned since 2018.
As a result, the cat was to be euthanized, according to Mr. Bayley.
Thanks to the work of the Guest Services team on the ship, the cat was able to remain onboard the ship until a permanent solution was found. It took a few weeks, but Mr. Bayley said they were able to get the cat back to the United States.
One of those crew members from the Guest Services team adopted the cat, and it's now living in Florida.
The feline was "adopted by one of the Guest Service team members in Miami. Ovie is now happily living in Miami."
Fans thankful for saving the cat
Mr. Bayley shared the story of Ovie's rescue on Facebook, and the comments were overwhelmingly" happy a positive ending came to the story.
"Love this. Not the cats fault. Love Royal. God Bless," wrote Phares Heindl.
"Love this so much! I hope Ovie and family have a magical life together!", posted Katina Bradley.
"This is amazing! Thank you for making sure this baby was not euthanized!," wrote Fox Forlenza-Owens.
One fan thought the cat had aspirations to become a cruise ship pet celebrity like Captain Kate's cat.
"She aspired to be a cruise cat like Capt. Kate McCue and Bug," wrote April Davenport.
Many people were also incredulous towards whomever brought the cat in the first place.
"What freaking idiot would “smuggle” a cat onboard?? People really are stupid," Greg Brockman posted.
"How irresponsible of the owners to think this was a good idea," Robyn Tindall added.
