Cat hiding in suitcase found airport inspection

Officials from the United States Transportation Safety Agency (TSA) detected the presence of an animal in a piece of luggage at New York’s JFK Airport. In an X-ray examination last Wednesday (16), agents detected objects such as bottles and shoes, but also noticed that a cat was being carried in a suitcase.

According to the American newspaper The Washington Post, the case was recorded on a plane bound for the city of Orlando, Florida, which is mainly known for its theme parks like Disney and Universal.

When TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein was called to explain the presence of the cat in the trunk, the passenger claimed that the animal was “not hers, but someone else in the inn.” The suspect is that the cat got into the suitcase without the man noticing.

The TSA representative added to The Washington Post that the passenger missed his flight but managed to reschedule it for the next day, but this time “without the cat” Lisa.

In a Twitter post, the agency shared the seizure records. On the X-ray, it is possible to observe an unusual format, which was confirmed to be a cat when security guards unzipped the trunk: It is possible to see yellowish hairs coming out of a small slit.

The last photo shows an agent carefully opening the suitcase. Luckily, the animal didn’t try to escape when the officers carried out the capture – this could also be considered a rescue as the animal would be exposed to dangerous conditions while traveling in the hold of an airplane, according to the newspaper.

The American newspaper New York Post managed to find the owner of the cat named “Smells”. Alix, 37, said she was at work and did not notice the animal until she got a call from authorities. The TSA questioned whether he “wanted to file a criminal complaint” against the passenger and asked if he had any reason to “steal the cat and try to go to Florida”.

Later, Alix’s fiancee went to the airport and picked up the animal, and the animal returned home safely. “I was worried Smells was scared, but he didn’t even meow on the way back,” he told the New York Post. “I gave him extra snacks and he acted like nothing had happened.”

Other records of unusual seizures have already been released by the TSA. For example, earlier this month, agents thwarted an attempt to smuggle a firearm hidden inside a raw chicken. The case was registered at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida.