ERIE, PA (WCMH) – A cat is safe and sound after TSA screeners found him packed away in a checked bag.
According to TSA spokesperson Mike England, the cat’s name is Slim. Slim was discovered in the checked bag by a TSA officer at the Erie Airport.
“While this could have been extremely dangerous for the cat, Slim is just fine and is currently under the care of the Humane Society,” said England.
The TSA offers the following procedures and tips to safely travel with a pet.
- All pets should be brought to the security checkpoint in a hand-held travel carrier. Remove the pet from the carrier just prior to the beginning of the screening process.
- Do not put the pet into the x-ray tunnel, which is used to screen a passenger’s personal property and carry-on luggage. Place the empty travel carrier on the belt to be x-rayed.
- The pet should be carried during the screening process; alternately, a pet can walk thru the process if the owner has the pet on a leash.
- A TSA officer will give the pet owner’s hands an explosive trace detection swab to ensure there is no explosive residue on the hands.
- Once the screening process is completed, owners should return the pet to the travel carrier at the re-composure area, away from the security checkpoint for the safety of the pet as well as other passengers.
Other helpful travel tips to make your trip thru security as easy as possible include:
- Acclimate the pet to the process of traveling by familiarizing it with the travel carrier in the days leading up to the trip. This will help ensure it is more relaxed as it travels thru the security process and the airport.
- Avoid bringing pets to an area of the airport where a “working” K9 is operating with its handler. Areas where it is common to see a working K9 may include a security checkpoint or in the airport concourse.
- Know the temperament of your pet and ensure that you can maintain control of it in a busy and potentially crowded environment at the airport.
- Prior to arriving at the checkpoint, consider visiting one of SEA’s two designated “pet relief” areas located at the north and south ends of the airport. There is a pet relief area located post-security near the concourse B exit, across from Hudson News.
- Pet travel restrictions vary by airline, so please check with your air carrier before arriving at the airport.