A passenger train conductor threw a cat named Twix out of the train carriage in -30 degrees Centigrade (-22F) during a stop in Kirov. The cat was traveling with his owner and had a ticket, NGS website said with reference to volunteers who currently try to find the missing cat.
The cat disappeared on January 11. Twix got out of his carrier and started wandering around the carriage. The conductor saw the feline and tried to find the owner, although no one responded to her calls. The lady decided that it was a stray cat that accidentally got into the train, so she decided to let the cat out into freezing cold (it was -30C that day). The owner noticed that the cat was not in the carrier only after the train left the station.
The press service of the Russian Railways apologised for the incident and said that the conductor's actions would be given an appropriate assessment.
"The company treats animals with great attention and love and takes care of them in every possible way along the journey. We apologise to the passenger for what happened. We will do everything possible to find Twix and prevent such incidents in the future,” the company said.
Vladislava, the owner of the feline, said that the incident happened at night when everyone was sleeping, so she did not notice the loss of her pet.
"We don't know how Twix got out of the carrier. Maybe someone helped him, maybe the carrier wasn't locked properly. It happened at night, so no one saw it. We boarded the train at night, everyone was asleep. We woke up in the morning, but the cat was no longer there. We took him in when he was six months or a year old. He has been with us for three years now. He is affectionate, he will approach everyone, he will not scratch or bite. He's friendly, and if you lure him with food, he'll come over,” the woman said.
More than 300 volunteers are searching for the cat, RIA Novosti reports.
UPDATE: Very sadly, the cat was found dead on January 20. His body was delivered to the owner.