A quick way to antagonize strangers this Thanksgiving travel season is to pass through security by some sort of accident, especially if it’s a household pet.
That’s why an employee with over 10 years of experience at San Francisco International Airport contacted SFGATE to share tips on the best way to travel with your pet. (As an employee of Covenant Aviation Security) [CAS]is the company that staffs the TSA checkpoint at SFO, but requested anonymity because they have been told not to contact the press except through official channels. )
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Those who have worked at checkpoints for years said the most difficult animals to handle are actually domestic animals, much more so than exotic species. “At SFO, we tested a cat, a dog, a baby kangaroo, a baby walrus and a baby crocodile. The rare animals belonged to zookeepers,” the CAS official said. But what are the most difficult pets to handle? Humble house cat.
Cats were found to sometimes bite and scratch their owners when removed from their carriers for examination by CAS personnel. Additionally, cats are quick and can create a backup line when running away.
“When cats are frightened, they fly away,” said a CAS official. “It happened on Thursday. I saw a woman running at full speed. Someone else had a dog that was full of energy, not ‘house broken.’ Clean up, Lane 2! And we’ll multiply this by 50 on Thanksgiving weekend. ”
CAS officials said the best way to avoid this problem is to acclimatize your pet before traveling. Practice carrying the animal in the crate a few times to get them exposed to the process. Put him in the carrier for a short time to get him used to the carrier and to make him feel comfortable.
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When it’s time to go through airport security, make advance arrangements with your airline. If you’re bringing your pet on a plane, consider using a leash so you don’t have to chase your pet when it gets out. Or worse, in case you need to get medical treatment before getting on the plane. (Some airlines require large pets to travel in a portable kennel in the hold; this is called “transporting” the pet.)
“People who go on holiday are usually not frequent travelers and often don’t understand that they have to keep their cat in a carrier for hours on end,” the CAS official said. “We don’t really need the headache of having to send people to an aid station because they’ve been torn apart by their own pet.”