We’ve written some weird headlines in our time - but this story takes the cake.
There are claims circulating that a Delta passenger tried to breastfeed her hairless cat on a flight, and refused to stop when asked to by a flight attendant.
The incident reportedly took place on Delta Flight 1360 from Syracuse, New York, to Atlanta, Georgia. The unidentified woman was caught breastfeeding her cat on the plane, and was repeatedly asked by a flight attendant to stop. The woman refused.
Indy100 spoke to Delta, who said they’ll respond shortly. While we wait, let’s look at where the claim first emerged.
It appears that a message apparently sent through the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) was circulated online.
Delta crew in Atlanta were, the image shows, alerted to the situation with the message: “[Passenger] in seat 13A “is breastfeeding a cat and will not put cat back in its carrier when [flight attendant] requested.”
A screenshot of the communication was posted to Reddit and then later posted to Twitter.
I saw this on Reddit today. It’s an a ACARS in-flight message from the cockpit to the ground.
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) November 24, 2021
Also, civilization had a good run. pic.twitter.com/AjQhIaE80H
Delta flight attendant Ainsley Elizabeth posted a now-deleted TikTok that explained the incident.
“This woman had one of those, like, hairless cats swaddled up in a blanket so it looked like a baby,” she said. “Her shirt was up and she was trying to get the cat to latch and she wouldn’t put the cat back in the carrier. And the cat was screaming for its life.”
Security was reportedly called, but Elizabeth did not know what happened to the woman after the plane landed in Atlanta.
The flight attendant who sent the ACARS message reportedly requested that Delta’s security team, known as the Red Coats, take control of the situation once they landed. According to Delta’s website, Red Coats are “the elite airport customer service experts, identifiable by their bright red coats. They are specially trained to handle on-the-stop customer issues.”
There are no laws against breastfeeding on a Delta flight, and pets are allowed on board. The combination of the two, however, creates a brand new - and bizarre - problem.
