Sarah Jackson was watching Gadoc’s production of Come From Away at Beau Sejour Theatre when a reference to an epileptic cat hit home, sparking memories of an extraordinary experience 25 years ago.
The award-winning musical tells the true story of how the small Canadian town of Gander played host to thousands of stranded airline passengers caught in the mayhem of the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.
When American airspace was closed, 38 aircraft carrying more than 6,500 passengers and crew were diverted to Gander, where residents rallied to provide food, shelter and support.
Among the unexpected arrivals were animals travelling in aircraft holds – including Mrs Jackson’s small black cat, Bootsy.
‘My dog and three cats were travelling to Texas with a handling company – we’d just moved there and they were being flown about a week later – but were diverted to Gander,’ said Mrs Jackson, who moved to Guernsey with her husband in connection with his work.
‘Luckily I had put extra tablets in a tub strapped to Bootsy’s crate just in case. So glad I did.’
The musical includes the account of a local animal welfare worker who took care of all the animals.
The character is based on Bonnie Harris, who helped look after pets stranded aboard the diverted aircraft.
‘Me and my husband looked at each other then, as if to say “that probably included our pets”,’ said Mrs Jackson.
‘We were led to believe it was the pilot and flight crew that looked after them. So it was quite emotional seeing the story unfold, all this time later – we never realised.’
Then Bonnie’s character goes on to mention a detail that struck an immediate chord with the local couple – the moment she discovers a cat suffering from epilepsy, with medication attached to her carrier.
‘It was like goosebumps,’ said Mrs Jackson.
‘Sitting there with everyone else around just enjoying the story and I’m like, “that’s Bootsy – that’s our cat!” It was really weird. She was a sweet little thing, never quite grew up.
‘She lived to 17, but she always stayed quite kitten-like. Everyone who met her fell in love with her.
‘We were on our way to Dallas Airport when everything happened and their plane was diverted.
‘It was awful. Of course, everyone at the time was concerned about people – we couldn’t clog up the phone lines asking about our animals, but they were all we could think about.
‘So we were just blown away by the play. It was so good. We’re so glad we went to see it.’
Though Bootsy’s role in the real-life events has not been confirmed, Mrs Jackson believes her much-loved little cat may have travelled from a diverted flight in Canada to the international stage.
Gadoc’s production, directed by Lisa Johnston, opened on Saturday and has its last night tonight.
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