A WOMAN was left feeling shocked when airport security staff discovered a live animal hiding inside her bag.
The bag went through security scanners at Norfolk International Airport in Virginia with airport workers were surprised by the image on their screens.
The outline of a cat, lying down inside a pet carrier, could be seen as the bag made its way through security.
While US travellers can take cats inside the cabin, pets should be removed from their case before the bag goes through the security scanner.
A spokesperson from the American Transport Security Administration, Lisa Farbstein, shared pictures of the bag on Twitter and explained what happened.
She said: "Just when you thought it was safe to bring your pet cat on a trip.
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"A traveller left their pet cat in its travel carrying case at a checkpoint this morning.
"Attention pet owners: Please do not send your pet through the X-ray unit [because it's a ] cat-astrophic mistake!"
In the comments, several people were concerned with the cat's welfare.
One person wrote: "Is the cat okay?"
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Lisa was quick to respond, she said: "Yes, the traveller and cat had to go through screening the proper way once the officers saw the X-ray image."
According to the New York Post Ms Farbstein explained that the passenger either did not know to remove the pet from the carry-on travel case before going through the checkpoint, or forgot to do so
Since the incident, the Transport Security Administration have explained how passengers should travel with their pets.
She told CNN: "The passenger needs to remove the pet from a carry case and carry it through the walk-through metal detector or walk the pet through the metal detector on a leash."
US holidaymakers with cats can also request a screening in a private room in case the cat becomes spooked.
But this isn't the first time a pet owner has left their animal to go through the security scanners at an American airport.
Last year a dog went through the scanners at Dane County Regional Airport in Wisconsin under similar circumstances.
Meanwhile, passengers were surprised on a recent flight when an animal broke free and started roaming around in the aisles.
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And these are some of the weirdest animals to have been spotted in plane cabins, including a baby kangaroo and a mini horse.
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