Live cat found trapped in luggage by airport staff in New York
The officers who saw the image, and then opened the case to find the cat, were “shocked,” TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein told CNN.
Despite them dealing daily with everything from unauthorised firearms to illicit cranberry sauce, “It’s rare to discover a live animal in a checked bag,” she said. Luckily, the cat didn’t try to run away when they opened the case.
The passenger, who was travelling on Delta Air Lines, was paged to come and explain his luggage, and told TSA that “it was not his cat – it belonged to someone else in the household,” said Farbstein. They suggested the cat – which was on top of the luggage, and even had its fur sticking out of the case between the zippers – had got into the case unseen.
TSA did not involve animal welfare, said Farbstein.
