A Florida couple is facing charges of animal cruelty after airport security found a cat in their luggage moments before they took off on a three-hour flight to Florida.
The TSA literally let the cat out of the bag which happened to be a six-month-old feline which would like have been killed en route or at least seriously injured.
The pet, known as Slim, was found was found hidden among clothes and other items in the pair’s checked luggage as they prepared to fly from Erie, Pennsylvania to Tampa, Florida, on New Year’s Day.
A couple are charged with animal cruelty after a six-month-old cat was found in their bag
Olivia Sari, 21, and Nicholas Larrison, 21, stuffed the cat into their checked baggage and it was only discovered by the TSA moments before they got onto a three hour flight to Florida
The cat would likely have been in for a rough ride had the journey continued as the bag would have been tossed around by airport handling staff unaware there was an animal inside.
It was only by sheer luck that TSA officials spotted the pet during pre-flight inspections.
Airport police cited Olivia Sari and Nicholas M. Larrison, both 21 and of North Port, Florida, with a summary count of transporting animals in a cruel manner. The couple could also face fines and other costs.
The pair were then forced to traveled home without the animal, Erie Times-News reported.
The couple enjoy being around cats as Sari’s pictures show – however they now face fines and possibly criminal charges after making a ‘poor decision’
The couple were forced to return to Florida without their cat which was taken to a shelter
‘It was a poor decision made on the customers’ part,’ said Ian Bogle, the airport’s director of public safety and facilities.
‘Each airline has procedures for transporting pets on flights. It’s not a difficult process, and the airlines are more than happy to accommodate pet owners, he said.
‘Putting a pet in a checked bag is not the recommended way,’ Bogle continued. ‘Twenty-eight years I’ve been here. I’ve seen some unique things. I’ve been involved in plenty of unique things. This is a first.’
Slim has since been handed over to the Humane Society of Northwestern Pennsylvania.