Being a flight attendant is a great way to see the world. It’s also a great way to observe the strange, often hilarious things people do when traveling from point A to point B. Some rules are meant to be broken, while others — like what you can bring in your carry-on — should probably be followed. If they always were, however, flight attendants wouldn’t have the following stories about some of the funniest, weirdest things they’ve seen at cruising altitude.

A Pet Squirrel

In an interview with Travel + Leisure, one flight attendant recalled a bushy-tailed rodent that somehow made it past the TSA checkpoint and onto the plane. “[The passenger] looked right back at us, and he was like, ‘That’s my cat.’ We were looking at the squirrel and we were like, ‘That cat has a tail that looks like a squirrel,’” the flight attendant said. “I mean, I was questioning my sanity.”

Unusual Requests

In her column Confessions of a Fed-Up Flight Attendant, a flight attendant who goes by the pseudonym “Betty” shared a list of items passengers have asked for. Though most of the objects themselves aren’t unusual — like deodorant, tweezers, and pens — the reasons passengers asked for them were. One passenger requested a pen to clear their ears with, while another asked for a screwdriver to take their seat apart. “Um … That’s not going to happen!” Betty wrote. “Also, we want you off the plane.” Fair enough.

A Sandwich Thief

Sometimes, peanuts just aren’t enough to satisfy your appetite. That may be why one passenger stole a sandwich rather than wait for meal service. “It was a crew member’s [sandwich],” a flight attendant shared with Business Insider, noting that it had been purchased at the airport. “They’d taken a bite and left it on the counter (with a little lipstick around the bite mark) to assist someone. When the crew member came back to the galley, it was gone.” The thief’s apparent excuse? “I was hungry.”

A Suitcase Full of Fish

One Reddit user related to a flight attendant relayed the tale of some highly unusual luggage. “Apparently, this guy had packed a bunch of fish he caught into his suitcase. He managed to get it through check-in and even through the TSA screen, but after being bumped and tossed in handling, by the time it got to the plane it was wet and smelly and the baggage loaders refused to put it on the plane,” the user shared.

“The gate supervisor had to explain to this guy that everyone is going to be much happier if he gets off the plane and retrieves his suitcase, and even offered him rebooking and a voucher if he would come back without the fish. He deplaned and that’s the last I heard of it.” (For what it’s worth, the TSA does allow live fish through security if they are swimming in a clear, spill-proof vessel. They cannot be in checked luggage, however.) 

An Armed Robber

Some robbers take the traditional route of having a getaway driver come along for the ride; others opt for the friendly skies. In the aforementioned Travel + Leisure story, another flight attendant recalled the experience of one of their first on-the-job flights, which landed in Charlotte with a suspected criminal aboard. “I see a bunch of police officers, and they’re like vests on, ready to go. And I’m new. So I’m thinking, ‘Are police always here to open the door?’” Not always, no — only when an alleged armed robber is on the manifest. (No word on how they got past the TSA checkpoint.)