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A man traveling from Los Angeles International Airport caused quite a stir last week when he sent his pet cat through the X-ray scanner as if it were a piece of luggage.
According to witness Sara Benincasa on Twitter, the unidentified man placed the cat in a bin before heading to passenger screening.
The Transportation Security Administration confirmed the incident, according to LA Weekly.
Despite the subsequent uproar the man was not arrested and eventually boarded his flight along with his feline friend.
While the TSA urges passengers to avoid sending their pets through the X-ray scanner, it should be noted that the machines don't emit a harmful amount of radiation. Currently, a pair of airports in Austria actually require passengers to send their animals through an X-ray scanner prior to boarding.
"It's not unheard of that people have done that, which is why we try to educate them," TSA spokeswoman Lorie Dankers told LA Weekly. "When you travel with your pet, do not put your pet on the X-ray. The No. 1 thing is you should never separate yourself from your pet. We know people love to travel with their animals."
The TSA offers several tips for travelers flying with pets and encourages them to utilize a hand-held travel carrier that should be sent through the X-ray scanner without the animal inside.
A spokeswoman for LAX had no information to add regarding the incident.
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