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.
Which is what the carrier is for & from personal experience, having gone thru this w/4 furpeople moving cross-country less than a month ago (& still bearing the scars to show for it!) I can personally vouch for the fact that they were fine while IN the carriers (even @ 30,000 feet!); it's the uncontrolled chaos that IS a TSA checkpoint that was where the problem was. And where, btw, the only howls were ever heard throughout our entire trip.
I would also echo the sentiments of the other posters who said putting a harness on a cat is MUCH easier said than done, especially when the cat is stressed, & even once it's on, there's no guarantee it will stay on (mine had figure 8 harness' on, but all managed to get out of them in almost no time).
Regardless of what some TSA SOP might say, the potential for harm to both animal & human by taking a highly stressed animal out of its 'safe' environment in that kind of chaotic situation far out weighs the risks of taking a very brief ride down the belt.