Security staff working the TSA line at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York were given quite a shock last week after discovering some unusual content inside a passenger’s checked baggage.
Screeners noticed an odd, cat-shaped object on the X-ray machine.
Turns out, it was cat-shaped for a reason.
Upon closer inspection, more signs began to point toward the surprising truth.
There really was a cat in the bag.
Fortunately, the cat was alive and well, curled up within the hard-shelled case. But the incident certainly raised some questions — like, how did the cat come to be there in the first place?
The owner of the bag was brought in for questioning.
Evidently, everything was just a huge error. A error the cat made on its own.
“I was present when this occurred on my airline. The unfortunate man DID NOT do this on intentionally, a person with knowledge of the incident tweeted. He was visiting a friend when his amiable cat hopped into his baggage, and he was completely unaware of what had transpired.
The stowaway cat was described as “unfazed” by the source in a later tweet:
Fortunately, the cat had been found in time, avoiding what would have been a long and unpleasant journey within the luggage hold of an airplane.
Instead, he’s back where he belongs — as a TSA spokesperson reports:
“The cat’s out of the bag and safely back home.”
And just in time for Thanksgiving.
Given this happy ending, the sneaky cat has plenty to be thankful for.