Skip to main content

'A ray of hope in this tragedy': Cat found ALIVE in rubble of Miami condo collapse is returned to its family

Binx the cat, who had lived on the ninth floor of the South Florida condo building that collapsed last month, has been found safe and returned to its family, officials said Friday.

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.  

Binx, a black cat, who lived in unit 904 of the Champlain Towers South with his family and had been missing since the night of the collapse, has been found and returned to his family

Binx, a black cat, who lived in unit 904 of the Champlain Towers South with his family and had been missing since the night of the collapse, has been found and returned to his family

The black cat was found wandering around the wreckage site and he was brought to a rescue center in Miami Beach

The black cat was found wandering around the wreckage site and he was brought to a rescue center in Miami Beach

'A black cat resembling Binx from #904 was brought to our facility last night by FEMA. Authorities from all over have been in and out of our Miami Beach office since last night. The Cat was found near the rubble!' Vlasek wrote.

'All we needed was a ray of hope in this tragedy… Today was one of the most amazing days.. one of the survivors came to see the cat and to determine if it was her families cat and IT WAS!

'We are so grateful to be able to help in any small way. These families lost so much but our south Florida communities team work was able to give them this. Thank you!,' she added in a Facebook post together with pictures and video of Binx. 

The pet survivor belongs to the Gonzalez family. 

His owners, Angela and Deven Gonzalez were seriously injured in the collapse and are in hospital while a third member of the family, Edgar Gonzalez

His owners, Angela and Deven Gonzalez were seriously injured in the collapse and are in hospital while a third member of the family, Edgar Gonzalez

His owners, Angela and Deven Gonzalez were seriously injured in the collapse and are in hospital while a third member of the family, Edgar Gonzalez remains missing. 

''That's actually Deven's cat, so I'm sure she's going to be over the moon knowing that they found her cat,' said Maria Gaspari to WSVN, an animal advocate and a friend of the cat's owners. 

'I just can't believe it. I just couldn't believe it when we received the confirmation. This is a miracle for the whole Surfside community.

'In the middle of this sadness, we were hoping for good news either for any survivors or any pet. As you may know, pets are family, and this is a miracle. I'm shaking right now,' Gaspari said. 

'It's a little sunshine for the family. It's good news in the middle of all this craziness and all this sadness. It brings hope, and we need that.' 

Details of the missing cat were first posted to Facebook having been found and taken to a shelter

Details of the missing cat were first posted to Facebook having been found and taken to a shelter

News of the cat being found was described as 'sunshine' for her owners

News of the cat being found was described as 'sunshine' for her owners 

The Gonzalez family had lived in unit 904. The apartment was sliced in two during the collapse. 

It's thought that Binx either survived the collapse of the building or managed to escape the rest of the structure before it was demolished earlier this week. 

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said during a news conference Friday evening that Binx was recognized by a volunteer who had been feeding cats near the collapsed building.

'After 16 long and extremely difficult days, I'm happy to be able to share a small piece of good news,' Cava said.

'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,' she added.

The mayor said animal control workers are continuing to place live traps in the area in hopes of recovering pets that might have escaped the deadly collapse. 

The 12-story building collapsed in the early morning hours of June 24. Officials have confirmed 79 people were killed, with 61 still unaccounted for. Crews are continuing to dig through debris day and night.

'This is a staggering and heartbreaking number,' Cava said. 

A rescue worker walks on the mound of remains from the collapsed 12-story Champlain Towers South condo building on Friday in Surfside, Florida. The death toll currently stands at 79 people killed, with 61 still unaccounted for

A rescue worker walks on the mound of remains from the collapsed 12-story Champlain Towers South condo building on Friday in Surfside, Florida. The death toll currently stands at 79 people killed, with 61 still unaccounted for

Excavators dig through the remains from the collapsed 12-story Champlain Towers South condo building on Friday

Excavators dig through the remains from the collapsed 12-story Champlain Towers South condo building on Friday

Popular posts from this blog

Study Abroad USA, College of Charleston, Popular Courses, Alumni

Thinking for Study Abroad USA. School of Charleston, the wonderful grounds is situated in the actual middle of a verifiable city - Charleston. Get snatched up by the wonderful and customary engineering, beautiful pathways, or look at the advanced steel and glass building which houses the School of Business. The grounds additionally gives students simple admittance to a few major tech organizations like Amazon's CreateSpace, Google, TwitPic, and so on. The school offers students nearby as well as off-grounds convenience going from completely outfitted home lobbies to memorable homes. It is prepared to offer different types of assistance and facilities like clubs, associations, sporting exercises, support administrations, etc. To put it plainly, the school grounds is rising with energy and there will never be a dull second for students at the College of Charleston. Concentrate on Abroad USA is improving and remunerating for your future. The energetic grounds likewise houses various

Best MBA Online Colleges in the USA

“Opportunities never open, instead we create them for us”. Beginning with this amazing saying, let’s unbox today’s knowledge. Love Business and marketing? Want to make a high-paid career in business administration? Well, if yes, then mate, we have got you something amazing to do!   We all imagine an effortless future with a cozy house and a laptop. Well, well! You can make this happen. Today, with this guide, we will be exploring some of the top-notch online MBA universities and institutes in the USA. Let’s get started! Why learn Online MBA from the USA? Access to More Options This online era has given a second chance to children who want to reflect on their careers while managing their hectic schedules. In this, the internet has played a very crucial in rejuvenating schools, institutes, and colleges to give the best education to students across the globe. Graduating with Less Debt Regular classes from high reputed institutes often charge heavy tuition fees. However onl

Sickening moment maskless 'Karen' COUGHS in the face of grocery store customer, then claims she doesn't have to wear a mask because she 'isn't sick'

A woman was captured on camera following a customer through a supermarket as she coughs on her after claiming she does not need a mask because she is not sick.  Video of the incident, which has garnered hundreds of thousands of views on Twitter alone, allegedly took place in a Su per Saver in Lincoln, Nebraska according to Twitter user @davenewworld_2. In it, an unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of the customer recording her. Scroll down for video An unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of a woman recording her A woman was captured on camera following a customer as she coughs on her in a supermarket without a mask on claiming she does not need one because she is not sick @chaiteabugz #karen #covid #karens #karensgonewild #karensalert #masks we were just wearing a mask at the store. ¿ o