There was one cat-related incident on a U.S. domestic flight in July, when a pet tried to chew through a metal kennel, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s monthly air consumer travel report released yesterday.
According to an animal incident report filed by Continental Airlines, on July 13 a 2-year-old domestic shorthair cat named Bandit was injured prior to the departure of a flight from Los Angeles.
The airline customer, whose name was redacted from the report, checked his cat in at the airport’s cargo office and then left to board the same aircraft. However, the cat began to chew on the metal door of his crate, and later an airline agent noticed the cat’s mouth bleeding.
The owner was contacted onboard the aircraft prior to departure and taken to the cargo facility where he and the cat were then transported to a local veterinarian’s office at the pet owner’s request.
The cat was examined and found to have self-inflicted tongue lacerations. After recovering, the cat and the customer took a later flight.
From January through July of this year there were a total of 14 animal fatalities, mostly dogs, during air transport, according to Department of Transportation statistics. There were also seven animals injured and four pets lost.