US traveller puts cat through airport screening in ‘cat-astrophic mistake’

A TSA spokeswoman described it as a "cat-astrophic mistake".

“Don’t put animals through TSA scanners” seems like quite obvious travel etiquette.

Yet, Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein has reminded people to keep their small pets outside airport X-ray scanners, and not for the first time.

Farbstein recently tweeted about an incident where someone left their cat inside a carry-on bag, which was sent through an X-ray machine.

The incident took place at Norfolk International Airport and was, according to Farbstein, a “cat-astrophic mistake”.

“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,” she wrote.

“Attention pet owners: Please do not send your pet through the X-ray unit,” she added.

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

Farbstein said after the TSA officers saw the image, they instructed the traveller and their feline to be scanned the “proper way”.

“The traveler and cat had to go through screening the proper way once the TSA officers saw the X-ray image,” she wrote. “The proper way being to remove the cat from the travel bag.”

Small pets like cats are allowed to go through TSA, according to official guidelines. However, owners must take their pets out of carry cases, which go through the X-ray machine and take the pet through the metal sector with them. On occasion, animal carriers will go through a visual or physical inspection.

In December 2022, a small dog was discovered passing through the machine at Dane County Regional Airport in Madison, Wisconsin.

Even more surprising, a cat was found in a traveller’s carry-on bag at JFK Airport in November 2022, however, the feline did not belong to the traveller.

According to security, it is believed the cat saw the open suitcase and jumped in without the traveller knowing or seeing it.