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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Vassia Barba

Airport staff baffled after passenger tries to sneak animal through security in bag

Airport security staff were baffled when an X-ray image came up showing a pet cat tucked inside a piece of carry-on baggage.

A traveller at Norfolk International Airport in Virginia, US, had the feline in their carry-on bag which was also a pet travel case.

The X-ray photo was released on Twitter by Lisa Farbstein, a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) spokesperson.

The TSA reminded pet owners not to send their pets through the X-ray machine.

Ms Farbstein said: "When that happens, they have to start all over again, meaning that the passenger and the cat have to start over at the checkpoint."

She wrote on Twitter: "Just when you thought it was safe to bring your pet cat on a trip. . . A traveller left their pet cat in its travel carrying case at a @TSA checkpoint this morning at @NorfolkAirport.

Lisa Farbstein from TSA explained the incident at Norfolk International Airport (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

"Attention pet owners: Please do not send your pet through the X-ray unit. Cat-astrophic mistake!"

The TSA recommends that cats be taken out of their cases and walked through the metal detector on a leash.

If no leash is available, cats can be screened in a private room at the request of their owner, as they can be more skittish than dogs and might scratch, bite, or try to run away.

Ms Farbstein told CNN: "The passenger needs to remove the pet from a carry case and carry it through the walk-through metal detector or walk the pet through the metal detector on a leash.

Pet owners should not send them through the X-ray machine (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

"This is typical of how people travel with small dogs. In the case of a cat, if there is no leash, we strongly recommend that the passenger requests screening in a private screening room."

Many Twitter users responded to the X-ray image expressing concerns for the welfare of the cat.

Someone said, "Is the cat okay?" to which Ms Farbstein replied: "Yep. The traveller 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."

Others appreciated the fun in the situation and commented: "Hopefully this will be a "cat-alyst" for change....." and "Getting a CAT scan on a budget."

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