A cat was spotted at a Frontier Airlines gate – on the head of a passenger. It’s reportedly Tampa airport, although I don’t recognize it and haven’t spent enough time at that airport to say for certain. Florida Man would certainly make sense, although I recognize the passenger and he’s actually from Atlanta.
I certainly think that if I found myself flying Frontier Airlines with a cat on my head I’d be questioning the life choices that brought me to that moment. He walks around the gate area with it and adjusts it over his headphones:
Woman sneaks her cat on the plane by pretending it is a hat pic.twitter.com/xut9pAcnIs
— USA NEWS 🇺🇸 (@usanewshq) March 28, 2026
Even on Frontier, though, approved pets have to remain in their travel carrier at all times – unless they are a service animal with properly completed paperwork.
The passenger appears to be Jeremy Smith, Atlanta’s “BeltLine Cat Guy” and his cat Whisker. He’s been deaf since birth. He met a man in Piedmont Park who was caring for the stray cat, bought the cat for $100, and trained her to ride calmly on his shoulder while he biked around the city. Smith says people react with delight, ask for photos and videos, and making strangers happy gives him a sense of purpose.
By the way, cats on a plane may not be as common as emotional support dogs, but here’s one who escaped coach on a Delta redeye. Flight attendants kicked it out of first class. Here are three kittens who took over a 10-hour flight. And a cat got loose on a cross-country JetBlue flight, it was captured by a flight attendant, and they couldn’t find its owner.
Aeroflot once confiscated a passenger’s miles because his cat was too fat.
This passenger wearing a cat on his head clearly thought he was signing up for the Pussy Palace experience. Instead, he landed on Frontier Airlines—where the only thing wilder than the in-flight snacks that taste like Purina cat chow is the chance your seat might actually survive takeoff. Bon voyage, fancy feline!
asperand Ken A: Does anyone in your real life think you’re funny?
Presumably this gent heard the call to have his service animal paperwork in order for domestic flites on Frontier or any other airline.
Pets should not be in cabins. Full stop.
@Principal Lewis–Even on my best day, I could never outdo the comedic genius of a Frontier Airlines passenger rocking a live cat as a hat. Unless, of course, I upgrade to a ferret scarf and a hamster necktie. Huge thanks to Gary Leff for alerting us to this high-fashion, high-feline moment.
You beat me to that’s some kussy… i mean kitty! Was there a full moon recently cause the freak shows are out!
asperand Ken A: I will answer my (previously non-rhetorical) question on whether anyone finds you funny. No.
Enjoy a pastis and work on your material.
What do you do when you can’t decide whether to wear a cap or a hat?
Cats should be standard ‘working’ crew on airline flights ….. They’ll kill all the rodents in the cabin, holds & bays that eat through wires, cables & cords…. Plus reducing their droppings after indulging in such tasty treats ! Their demeanor will be indistinguishable from some of the human crew, anyways ….
… lol
I’m allergic and yet I want the cat hat please.
@Ken A — Tell us more about this Pussy Palace… fly to/through CLT?
1990 asks, “@Ken A — Tell us more about this Pussy Palace… fly to/through CLT?” You’re on to something, 1990! For those who enjoy a bit of wordplay, frequent flyers landing in CLT and looking for a chuckle can remember that CATS stands for Charlotte Area Transit System, providing a purr-fect way to travel from the Charlotte Douglas International Airport to area spots like the Arboretum Shopping Center. Years back, many stores put up displays of pussy willows—hence, the cheeky nickname, “pussy palace.” Take that, Las Vegas!
Salix discolor, also known as the American pussy willow, proves you don’t need to own a cat to have soft, fuzzy things in your life. These silver-grey catkins pop out on bare branches in late winter and early spring, looking and feeling like a tiny kitten’s paws. In fact, botanists have been known to squeal, “Aww!” during fieldwork—purely for scientific reasons, of course.
The term “pussy willow” covers several Salix species, but S. discolor is the top cat in North America for these adorable, furry catkins. If there were a cuteness contest for plants, this one would paws-itively win best in show.
Learn more about recycled pussies:
https://www.gardeningcharlotte.com/winter/2017/2/24/recycled-pussy-willows
Oh yeah, we see this guy on the Atlanta Beltline all the time.