What’s the most inconvenient flight you’ve ever suffered through? Maybe you’ve been stuck next to a snorer, or your luggage ended up on the other side of the world. But I guarantee, whatever you’ve gone through, it’s nothing compared to the passengers of a Tarco Airlines flight that had to turn around mid-flight because of a cat attack. Yes, you read that right—a cat hijacked the cockpit and sent the plane right back to where it started!

It all went down (or should I say up) on a February 2021 flight from Khartoum, Sudan, to Doha, Qatar. About 30 minutes into the flight, a feral feline, who clearly didn’t get the memo about airplane etiquette, emerged from a secret hiding spot and rushed the cockpit—one of the worst places for an angry cat to be. We’re talking claws out, attacking the pilot, and generally going berserk.

Crew members tried to wrangle the feline, but this creature wasn’t kitten around. According to reports, the cat was described as “aggressive and angry,” and the pilot eventually had to make a snap decision to turn the plane around and head back to Khartoum. That might not have been necessary if the furball hadn’t found its way into the avionics bay—a critical part of the plane’s system that controls vital electronics and flight instruments. While it’s unclear how long the cat stayed in the cockpit, its journey into the avionics bay made the situation far more dangerous since the crew didn’t know if it had damaged anything.

With the cat’s claws out and the plane’s wiring potentially at risk, the pilot had no choice but to prioritize safety and turn back. Forget turbulence—this flight had a full-blown crisis on its paws.

Officials later explained that the cat likely infiltrated the plane while it was parked overnight for cleaning and maintenance at the Khartoum airport. Seems like Mr. Whiskers found the perfect spot for a catnap until the roar of the engines rudely woke him up.

Faced with a fur-ocious feline that clearly wasn’t ready for takeoff, the crew did everything they could to capture the cat. They tried, they failed, and the situation kept escalating until the plane returned to the ground. Let’s just say this wasn’t exactly the pawsitive experience passengers were expecting.

The passengers? Well, they were probably scratching their heads wondering why their flight was going paws-up. Turns out, no one was fur-st class on this trip except the angry stowaway, who made sure the flight crew got a paws-itive attitude adjustment.

In the end, the plane landed safely back in Khartoum, and the cat was—hopefully—given a one-way ticket to never flying again. But hey, at least the passengers had a purrfect excuse for being late.

So next time you’re stuck in a delayed flight, just remember: at least you’re not being held up by a furious feline with a serious cat-titude.