TSA agents have likely seen more than they bargained for, no doubt partly because they pat down non-threatening 80-year-old women to pretend they are equitable in who they screen, but one agent got more than they bargained for after seeing a pet go through the x-ray machines.
Agents in Norfolk, Virginia were watching luggage pass through the security apparatus when they saw the grisly image of a skeletal animal, learning shortly thereafter that a passenger had left their cat in the carry-on luggage.
Prompting a comment on social media, an account belonging to TSA personnel described the situation as “cat-astrophic.”
Just when you thought it was safe to bring your pet cat on a trip. . . A traveler left their pet cat in its travel carrying case at a @TSA checkpoint this morning at @NorfolkAirport. Attention pet owners: Please do not send your pet through the X-ray unit. Cat-astrophic mistake! pic.twitter.com/tko6DP2vXx
— Lisa Farbstein, TSA Spokesperson (@TSA_Northeast) March 3, 2023
“Just when you thought it was safe to bring your pet cat on a trip. . . A traveler left their pet cat in its travel carrying case at a @TSA checkpoint this morning at
@NorfolkAirport. Attention pet owners: Please do not send your pet through the X-ray unit. Cat-astrophic mistake!” TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein tweeted on March 3rd.
One user followed up by asking if the cat in question was okay, to which the same account replied, “yep.”
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“Yep. The traveler and cat had to go through screening the proper way once the TSA officers saw the X-ray image. The proper way being to remove the cat from the travel bag,” Farbstein added.
Fox reported that the same account holder shared a Twitter link to an Instagram video instructing passengers how to properly get their animals screened.
She also tweeted a video posted to Instagram by the TSA about the proper way to travel with a pet through the TSA checkpoint, adding that travelers with cats can request it be screened in a private room, just in case the owner has an escape artist on their hands.
In case you were wondering, this is how to travel with your pet through a @TSA checkpoint. If you have a cat, request that it be screened in a private screening room so if it jumps down, it won’t run off. Or put your cat on a leash.
In case you were wondering, this is how to travel with your pet through a @TSA checkpoint. If you have a cat, request that it be screened in a private screening room so if it jumps down, it won't run off. Or put your cat on a leash. https://t.co/CjIpbr8uZG
— Lisa Farbstein, TSA Spokesperson (@TSA_Northeast) March 3, 2023
“The Instagram video starts out with an image of the cat’s X-ray with the words “Don’t do this” underneath,” Fox wrote of the video. “It then shows a man remove his dog from a pet carrier and walk through the TSA checkpoint.”
Anyone that has flown recently is probably less concerned about a cat getting its daily dose of radiation and more concerned about being the unwitting passenger forced to share a row with the obnoxious felines and their owners.
Cats, dogs, rabbits, and whatever else passes for a pet these days simply do not belong in the main cabin with people. Mangy animals belong in the cargo hold. There is obviously an exception for service animals, which do great things for people who truly need them.
But your furry friend is not my friend. If they stopped serving peanuts due to allergy concerns, how does anyone justify the presence of unwanted dander that could leave others in a perpertual state of misery for the duration of a flight?
And even if allergies aren’t’ an issue, the fact that you stowed away a live animal below a seat is ridiculous enough. Passenger planes are for people. This isn’t a debate; this is a fact.