Chronic latecomers can cause headaches for HR/benefits professionals aiming to keep an entire employee population happy and productive. While flexible work arrangements continue to spread throughout the mainstream American workforce, excessive tardiness can lead to dismissal. In fact, a recent CareerBuilder survey shows that 34% of employers have terminated an employee for being chronically late. Employees admit their timeclock struggles, with 16% of workers reporting they arrive late to work once a week or more (up from 15% last year), and another 27% saying they arrive late to work at least once a month (up from 26% last year), CareerBuilder finds. With those kinds of numbers, managers no doubt have heard it all when it comes to employees’ tardiness excuses. Here are the 10 most outrageous ones, according to the CareerBuilder survey.

1. Employee’s cat had the hiccups.

2. Employee thought she had won the lottery. (She didn’t.)

3. Employee got distracted watching the “Today Show.”

4. Employee’s angry roommate cut the cord to his phone charger, so it didn’t charge and his alarm didn’t go off.

5. Employee believed his commute time should count toward his work hours.

6. Employee claimed a fox stole her car keys.

7. Employee’s leg was trapped between the subway car and the platform. (This one actually turned out to be true!)

8. Employee said he wasn’t late because he had no intention of getting to work before 9 a.m. (although his start time was 8 a.m.).

9. Employee was late because of a job interview with another firm.

10. Employee had to take a personal call from the state governor. (This one turned out to be true as well.)