Originally Posted by
Bart
If the cat was this way on the ground at the checkpoint, I wonder what would have happened 30,000 feet in the air? Point here is that pet owners who opt to bring their pets with them as carry-on have a responsibility to keep that pet under control at all times, especially when on board the aircraft.
Apparently you do not own a cat. A cat can be "controlled" while in a carrier, but once the door is open, anything goes.
I still do not understand the need to put the carrier through the X-ray, with or without an occupant. Most carriers are fairly thin and can easily be inspected by hand - at least in the same amount of time it takes to remove and replace an animal. This seems to be a policy for the sake of uniformity.