There has been far too much heartbreak and devastation resulting from the collapse of the South Florida condo building several weeks ago, but one family received some good news recently when a cat who lived on the ninth floor was found alive and returned to its family.
The Associated Press reported that the cat, named Binx, was found by a rescue worker who thought the feline looked like the missing cat and brought it to a rescue facility where it was identified by its owners.
“Gina Nicole Vlasek, co-founder of The Kitty Campus, posted on Facebook that a black cat resembling Binx was found near the rubble of the Surfside building Thursday night and brought to the group’s nearby facility in Miami Beach. A former Champlain Towers South resident visited The Kitty Campus on Friday and confirmed that the feline was hers, Vlasek said,” the AP reported.
Vlasek wrote on Facebook: “We are so grateful to be able to help in any small way.”
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava mentioned Binx’s rescue in a news conference, saying the cat was recognized by a volunteer who was helping to feed cats near the rubble.
“I’m glad that this small miracle could bring some light into the lives of a grieving family today and could provide a bright spot for our whole community in the midst of this terrible tragedy,” Levine Cava said at the press conference.
Levine Cava also said at the time that animal control workers are still placing live traps in an attempt to catch other pets that may have been able to escape the collapse. Officials now say 79 people were killed in the collapse, with another 61 still missing.
As The Daily Wire previously reported, concerned rescuers attempted to delay the demolition of the remaining section of the condo building in order to try and rescue more animals.
The Miami Herald reported that Paula Phillips, an attorney representing paralegal and animal rescue volunteer Stacey Karron, filed an emergency petition to save a stranded pet around 9:30 p.m. the day the condo was demolished. The request was denied and the building was demolished not long after.
The motion absolved anyone of any liability should Karron hurt herself while searching for pets who were still trapped in the crumbling condo building. While the name of the pet was not mentioned during the hearing or the motion, the New York Post identified it as possibly a cat named Coco.
While pet owners may have been horrified to learn Karron’s motion was denied, presumably sentencing Coco to death, but there is hope the feline escaped. Miami-Dade County Attorney Dave Murray argued against Karron’s motion, saying “This is not a case where the county has sat on their hands.”
Murray and others insisted that numerous rescue attempts had been made to save animals remaining in the building and that letting people in to try and rescue more animals would have put many people in danger.