A Toronto pet owner is hoping WestJet will find one of her two cats after the feline went missing in Vancouver International Airport's cargo area.

Kelli Seepaul said she was paged at Vancouver airport on Thursday about her two cats, Finnigan and Willow, while she was waiting to board her flight to Toronto.

Airport staff told her that her two cats had escaped after the bottom of their carrier fell out when it was picked up by ground handlers.

"I instantly panicked. I started to cry. I mean they aren't just pets. Anyone who has a pet or loves animals knows that they are a part of your family," Seepaul told CTV Toronto.

Seepaul helped airport staff with the search and Finnigan was eventually found, but Willow remains missing.

"I obviously missed my flight and waited in the airport for a long time trying to find her and I cried the whole time,” Seepaul said. “I'm just really worried about her. I know she's scared and hungry."

She said her two adopted pets had come from homes where they were abused and that Willow, a Siamese cat, is still shy.

"She's much friendlier with me now but I still can't pick her up," she said.

Seepaul said the two cats were stowed in a brand new carrier that she had specifically purchased for her move to Toronto.

WestJet says they are continuing to search for the cat and they are working with the local humane society in their efforts.

“All possible efforts are being made to find Willow, ” the airline said in a statement on Saturday. WestJet said a number of agencies and hundreds of airport workers are looking for the missing cat.

Meanwhile, Seepaul said she continues to worry about Willow, and even Finnigan is missing her.

"(He) has been calling for her," she said.

A similar situation took place last week at a Winnipeg airport, after a cat escaped from his carrier in an Air Canada's cargo area.

"I got a phone call from the cargo people and they told me that we have some bad news to tell you," Pat Torlen told CTV Toronto. “Lightning has escaped from his carrier and we don’t know exactly where (he is.)”

After a five day search that involved spraying the airport grounds with tuna juice, Lightning was reunited with his owner.

With a report from CTV Toronto’s Calvin To