"Miracle Kitty Found at Ground Zero"

[TuffyCatt]

One of my friends found this story on the Compuserve website. I'm not sure if anyone else had heard it. It made me feel better to know that there were still a few small miracles happening at the World Trade Center site. Anyway, I thought I'd share it with everybody.


There was a rescue made in New York City's "ground-zero"--a 9-pound Persian cat. Named Precious, she managed to survive 18 days without food in all the ground debris. She lived with D.J. and Steve Kerr in an apartment building across from the World Trade Center. The Kerrs were away on September 11, which may have saved their lives since the blasts from the terrorist attacks blew out their apartment windows and filled the room with flying glass, metal, dust, and smoke. However, Precious was in the apartment. On Saturday night, rescuers responded to all call of a cat crying. A recovery dog led them right to her on the debris-coveverd roof of the damaged apartment building. In addition to being terrified, Precious suffered eye injuries, burns to her paws, and smoke and dust inhalation.

They speculate she stayed alive by drinking contaminated rainwater--pretty good survival skills for a cat who had never before been outside. "It's unbelievable. It's a miracle. I can't believe she's alive," said owner D.J., who had assumed the cat had died. Suffolk SPCA chief Roy Gross called Precious' survival "miraculous." He told The New York Post, "This is the first good story we've heard. She has sores on her mouth from drinking out of puddles. She's dirty and dehydrated and her eyes were injured, but she's going to be OK." She is expected to make a full recovery. "she's so happy, she's just purring," said a relieved D.J.

I hope this story made someone else's day like it did mine.

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Hmm. Hopefully, the cat won't have to use up as many lives again in the future...:)

[optimal321]

Yeah, that is really good to hear.:)

[BourgeoisBuffoon]

It is a story like that which gives hope to even the most pessimistic. I'm happy to hear the cat was saved, it's the small stuff that counts as well.

Also....death drop estiimate for the WTC is down by 1,000! :) YES!

[TuffyCatt]

Originally posted by BourgeoisBuffoon
Also....death drop estiimate for the WTC is down by 1,000! :) YES!

That is really good to hear. Any good news is great news. :)

[Calhoun07]

Sorry to be devil's advocate, but was this confirmed? I just cannot believe that the survivors who the rescure workers heard knocking and calling out from beneath the rubble could not be recovered alive but this cat was. Not that I don't want to doubt it, but it just sounds awfully incredible and like something somebody might come up with.

Albeit, if it's true, it's a nice story. I guess cats do always fall on their feet!

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Originally posted by calhoun07
Sorry to be devil's advocate, but was this confirmed? I just cannot believe that the survivors who the rescure workers heard knocking and calling out from beneath the rubble could not be recovered alive but this cat was. Not that I don't want to doubt it, but it just sounds awfully incredible and like something somebody might come up with.

Albeit, if it's true, it's a nice story. I guess cats do always fall on their feet!

Keep in mind the article says the cat was in the building ACROSS from the WTC. I imagine the cat would be easier to access since there isn't two gazillion tons of rubble to wade through, and just a damaged part of an apartment building.

[TuffyCatt]

Originally posted by calhoun07
Sorry to be devil's advocate, but was this confirmed? I just cannot believe that the survivors who the rescure workers heard knocking and calling out from beneath the rubble could not be recovered alive but this cat was. Not that I don't want to doubt it, but it just sounds awfully incredible and like something somebody might come up with.

Albeit, if it's true, it's a nice story. I guess cats do always fall on their feet!

I'm almost 100% sure its true. It was found it on a news site, and SPCA officers and The New York Times seem to have reported on the story. I think its possible, especially since the cat wasn't it the WTC Towers, but in one of the buildings next to it. All animals have some pretty amazing survival skills. My mom's a vet and she seemed to think that the story was possible. If I find anymore info or pictures, I'll be sure to let you all know.

[Calhoun07]

Oh, that's understandable that is survived one of the other buildings.

[Singin' Stray Cat]

Originally posted by calhoun07
Sorry to be devil's advocate, but was this confirmed? I just cannot believe that the survivors who the rescure workers heard knocking and calling out from beneath the rubble could not be recovered alive but this cat was. Not that I don't want to doubt it, but it just sounds awfully incredible and like something somebody might come up with.

Albeit, if it's true, it's a nice story. I guess cats do always fall on their feet!

My dad heard this story on the news, so I'm guessing it's true. I admit, it does seem a little far-fetched, but if you think about it, cats are pretty tough. I've read about a cat falling from as high as 120 feet (Gros Minou I believe was its name) and living. A friend of ours had a cat get stuck in a truck engine, and it survived (though it lost a leg and ear in the process :( )

[Frozen]

Thanks TuffyCat - that is a lovely story!!! We have eight cats right now, so I think it's safe to say we're cat lovers!!!

And Yep - that made mt day!

[BourgeoisBuffoon]

8 cats?! Wow. Makes my four cats seem like an insignificant number...any kittens in that bunch? If so...are they driving you crazy? ;)

Any other large-number cat owners here at Toon Zone? Perhaps we should start a cat thread! :D

BTW...I actually read this story in the paper the other day, so safe to say that this IS true!

[Clayface]

Originally posted by Singin' Stray Cat

My dad heard this story on the news, so I'm guessing it's true.


Wow. "It was on the news, so it must be true" is a scarey statement - you'd be surprised how much newscasters screw up.

But in this case, I can believe its true - in the days immediately following the attack, there were actually teams of people going into nearby buildings to rescue animals that were left behind in the confusion - there were quite a few stories like this and they're all true. I even read a story about a gecko that was rescued from an damaged apartment - the rescuers weren't just looking for cats and dogs, but all sorts of pet, which is pretty cool.

[Calhoun07]

I never believe everything I hear on the news. Sometimes things are covered up, or just not revealed by the sorces for whatever reason, or there is a political ajenda. Of course, I doubt a cat story falls into any of those categories!

As for cat owners? well, I don't have a pet, but if I did, I'd have a dog. Cat's are ok, tho, I grew up with them cuz my mom always had to have some.

[Calhoun07]

Want an example of how you can't believe everything you hear on the news? Last week they were saying the anthrax out break in Florida wasn't a terrorist attack. Today they are. And they didn't tell you about the other people last week who also had symptoms but now you are hearing about 100+ who are being tested for the virus.

[Clayface]

Originally posted by calhoun07
I never believe everything I hear on the news. Sometimes things are covered up, or just not revealed by the sorces for whatever reason, or there is a political ajenda.

That, plus, in some cases there's just the plain old ignorance factor. There was interesting pole done not too long ago that showed that something like 80% of scientists don't trust the media. Being a member of the scientific community, I can believe that pole - the media often times misrepresents scientific discoveries, or just gets them plain wrong - a lot of times because the reporters just don't understand what they're reporting on, and make very large blunders or misquotes.

[Maxie Zeus]

Originally posted by calhoun07
Want an example of how you can't believe everything you hear on the news? Last week they were saying the anthrax out break in Florida wasn't a terrorist attack. Today they are. And they didn't tell you about the other people last week who also had symptoms but now you are hearing about 100+ who are being tested for the virus.

Well, this is an example of incomplete information, not "untrustworthiness." Given that anthrax is a naturally occuring (though thankfully rare) scourge, an isolated instance is most plausibly explained without talking about "terrorists." It is only as more facts come to light (the additional outbreaks in the same building) that the original analysis yields to a new explanation. You can't ask them to call it a terrorist attack when the best available evidence at the time pointed in the other direction.

As for the cat (to keep this on-topic): The smaller the animal the better it is able to survive a fall from high places. This is why babies have been known to survive falls that would kill adults, and why a fall that would just bruise us would kill an elephant.

[Singin' Stray Cat]

Originally posted by Clayface



Wow. "It was on the news, so it must be true" is a scarey statement - you'd be surprised how much newscasters screw up.


Yes, yes, I know. :o Reading Amusing Ourselves to Death cured me of totally relying on the news.

I didn't base my judgement of this story only on what the news media said. That really would be scary. I only used it as a start. I went back to some books of mine about cats and remembered my own experience before finally deciding that the story was probably true.



As for the cat (to keep this on-topic): The smaller the animal the better it is able to survive a fall from high places. This is why babies have been known to survive falls that would kill adults, and why a fall that would just bruise us would kill an elephant.


Really? I didn't know that... so size is an advantage too... I thought it was just because a cat could land on its feet... thanks for the info!

[TuffyCatt]

Originally posted by BourgeoisBuffoon
Any other large-number cat owners here at Toon Zone? Perhaps we should start a cat thread! :D


OOOHHH a cat thread would be fun! :D Sorry, I really like cats...I only have two right now, because that's all my parents will allow, which is probably good, because if I had a choice I would probably have a ton of cats. My parents are vets so I love animals...

I know that things on the news aren't neccesarily true or accurate, esp. in a time like this when there are so many stories flying around. However, the story about Precious just doesn't seem to me like something that someone would make up and report on the news...I don't know, just my opinion! :)

BTW-On Animal Planet on Friday night there is going to be an episode of Animal Precinct about animal rescues made in New York after the terrorist attacks, in case anyone is interested...

[Calhoun07]

Hey, that's pretty cool. I've seen some bits about the dogs in NY on the news here and there. I might have to watch that special on Animal Planet!

[Frozen]

BourgeoisBuffoon wrote
8 cats?! Wow. Makes my four cats seem like an insignificant number...any kittens in that bunch? If so...are they driving you crazy? ;)


Yes... and yes. It's the climbing up my bare legs when I'm in a bath-robe that drives me the craziest... I now have more scars than Rambo...

[TuffyCatt]

I found a picture of Precious in case anyone was interested:
http://www.catsinthenews.com/issues/0110/pictures/wtc_precious.jpg

Courtesy of catsinthenews.com :)

[Calhoun07]

HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAAA!!!!!

Somehow, when I see that pic, the look on the cat's face reminds me of Homeward Bound when Sassy was being hugged by the little girl and she was gasping, "Sassy can't breathe!"

Also, I think now I see how the cat survived the fall...look at all that friggin PADDING the cat has!

[BourgeoisBuffoon]

That cat's face tells me it's been through something big, alright! Look at how shocked it looks! Combo of scared/goofy/shock. Perfectly comical, alright.


SAID BY FROZEN: Yes... and yes. It's the climbing up my bare legs when I'm in a bath-robe that drives me the craziest... I now have more scars than Rambo...

Hey, I know how you feel. And I've had to be in public places with shorts, so people stare at my legs...it's kinda embarrasing...