Once again I see that it is all the OP's fault. Everyone has criticism or silly humor and no one has offered a reasonable reply to Jeff's problem.
I think he indicated that the cat was going alone to ROC, so there wasn't anyone to take it on board. In this day and age, we don't ask strangers to take things on a plane.
At my little airport, pets are checked in and shipped at the passenger checkin counter (there is no cargo terminal). Odds are that the Counter Rep does double or triple duty as GA, cargo agent, and/or baggage handler. They seem to know how to manage all these jobs. I guess that is one advantage of flying out of PODUNK.
Jeff, my advice is to write a concise letter expressing your concern and describing your experience (very short and to the point), and send it to Richard Anderson. He won't see it, but it will get to the right person eventually. Be patient. It will take weeks to get a reply. Might be good to say that you don't want any SM thrown at you--all you want is a sincere apology and for them to fix the system.