Kitten gets X-rayed at airport

persi & alley

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DW was on the verge of missing her plane this morning. She had a small carry on bag with our kitten in it. She was in the panic mode and threw her bags up on to the X-ray belt including the small bag with Shelby the kitten in it. Now she is sick with worry. I told her not to worry but is there a reason to worry?
 

twstychik

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I don't think it would be a cause for concern. I wonder what airport security thought when they saw little Shelly on the x-ray?
If she's that worried could you call your vet to ask and ease her mind?
 
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persi & alley

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Originally Posted by Rosiemac

Should Shelby not have went in the cargo Lee?
If your pet is small enough to fit in a bag that will fit under the seat in front of you, you are allowed to carry on your pet at no cost. At least with American Airlines. Much better than shipping in cargo. That is, unless you x-ray your cat.
 

kluchetta

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Pregnant mommies are xrayed at the vet, so if it doesn't hurt the kittens then, I wouldn't think it would hurt an older kitten.
 

rosiemac

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I would imagine Shelby would be ok Lee?. Like Kluchetta has said about the pregnant mums getting x-rayed.

I think you have to be exposed to a number of x-rays before any real harm comes about.

How great is that thought being able to carry the kitten on the plane with you. I'd be ooh'ing and aww'ing all the way
 

goldenkitty45

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Probably not, but what did the security say? Usually you have a small carrier for under the seat and take the cat out first.

Almost all American airlines will allow a pet on board if it fits under the seat. I feel for you in UK and Australia where its not allowed. Only time the pet rides in cargo is if (1) its unaccompanied or (2) too big to fit under the seat or more then one animal
 

epona

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

I feel for you in UK and Australia where its not allowed.
Well I wouldn't feel too sorry for us in the UK - we're really quite a small island and there are plenty of other options besides flying, even if you want to go to the continent - of course taking a pet out of the country involves a whole lot of other palava, how you're going to get there is simple by comparison.
 

gingersmom

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When I flew Penny home to MA from NC I put her under the seat in front of me and there WAS a fee for having the animal aboard - I have never ever before heard that animals can fly for free, I think that was a fluke!

I had to put the carrier through Xray but was told to take her OUT of it first. I'm wondering what the heck is wrong with those idiots in that security line that they allowed a live animal to be put through that machine!
 

twstychik

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If she was zipped in and depending on the style of carrier it could have easily been mistaken for a regular carry on bag.
 

yosemite

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Originally Posted by GingersMom

I had to put the carrier through Xray but was told to take her OUT of it first. I'm wondering what the heck is wrong with those idiots in that security line that they allowed a live animal to be put through that machine!
I got the impression from the OP that the owner just dumped the bag on the x-ray belt with her other bag in a hurry and didn't think to even tell the security people it contained a cat so I would think that the onus would have been on the owner to let them know there was a cat in the bag before it went through X-ray.
 

jellybella

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I'm sure she'll be OK. It is a strong x-ray machine, but she wasn't in there long. I think they make you take the animal out so that they can completely search the carrier and so that the animal doesn't freak out in the machine more than the x-rays themselves.

You can probably call the vet if you need peace of mind, otherwise I guess Shelby just had an adventure!
--make that another adventure (counting the incident with the paint)
 

blast-off-girl

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I actually put Buster in the x-ray machine too back in 2001. I also freaked out and thought he would develop cancer. I was running late and the security guy assured me that it would be ok. Well, it's 2008 and Buster still is alive and doesn't have cancer. Hopefully, my experience will make you feel more comfortable and ease your fears.
 

ilovemy2cats

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Originally Posted by GingersMom

I had to put the carrier through Xray but was told to take her OUT of it first. I'm wondering what the heck is wrong with those idiots in that security line that they allowed a live animal to be put through that machine!
Excuse me, but I used to be an airport security screener 4 years ago and, no, we were not idiots (a lot of passengers were though
).

Unless they've changed something the past 4 years, the x-ray machine is not that strong for carry on bags. The checked bags x-ray, though, is very strong. I wouldn't worry about your cat going through the carry-on bag x-ray, she'll be fine.
 

katgoddess

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Originally Posted by Yosemite

I got the impression from the OP that the owner just dumped the bag on the x-ray belt with her other bag in a hurry and didn't think to even tell the security people it contained a cat so I would think that the onus would have been on the owner to let them know there was a cat in the bag before it went through X-ray.
I don't know how security works anywhere else, but I fly all the time with my dog in Canada and even before I get to the front of the line, one of the security officers would be telling me to make sure I take my dog out of the carrier. They double-check everything before it goes through the x-ray machine, to ensure that everything's done right (pets out of the bags, laptops out of laptop bags, jackets off, etc.).

I think it's important for them to ensure this because some people travelling first time with their pets may not be aware of these policies, so IMO, the onus is half-half.

Additionally, before they scan my things, they always ask for my ID and boarding pass...the check-in personel is supposed to put in big blue letters PETC on the boarding passes for reasons like this (because of this, those travelling with pets *cannot* self check-in -- it's always manual check-in with a rep). Maybe policies aren't the same everywhere else. *shrugs*
 

momofmany

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One of my cats went through the carry on xray once. Sebastian was a feral cat and I couldn't take him out of the carrier at the airport (too risky) so security insisted that he go thru the machine. He had no ill effects and lived for many years after that episode.
 

jcat

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My husband did the same thing with our Siamese, and that cat lived to about 23, so I don't think you have to worry too much about one-time exposure.
 
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