Lucky Cat Survives Euthanizing Twice

Warning: This story is not for the faint of heart – although it does, unbelievably, have a happy ending.

Last fall, a stray black kitty named Andrea, lost her lease on life. She had been at a shelter in Utah for over 30 days without being adopted and consequently she was sent to the shelter gas chambers to be euthanized. When the staff went in to retrieve her, however, she showed signs of life, so they gassed her a second time. Thinking the second attempt “succeeded,” the shelter employee picked up her lifeless body, wrapped it in a plastic bag and deposited her in a cooler.

However, Andrea had only used up two of her nine lives and she was insistent that she still had seven to go. When the staff emptied the cooler at the end of the day Andrea the cat was amazingly still alive – and moving! She survived two gassing attempts, potential suffocation in a plastic bag and hypothermia!

At this point, the shelter employees wondered about divine intervention and decided this tough-as-nails cat deserved a second chance to find a forever home and she was given to CAWS (Community Animal Welfare Society), a local animal welfare group.

“She’s pretty tough, obviously,” said Janita Coombs, a volunteer with CAWS who agreed to take care of Andrea. “She’s definitely got some will to live.”

CAWS, which agreed to find a permanent home for Andrea, is seeking information on why the gas chamber failed – and local Utah residents are seeking an end to the use of gas chambers at their city shelters.

Animal welfare activists around the world, in hearing Andrea’s stomach-wrenching story, have called for the end of all Auschwitz-like gassing of animals. Activists who of course prefer that euthanizing be avoided at all costs argue that if it must be done, please use injection as it is painless, faster and less expensive than carbon monoxide. As Jennifer Brown with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals urged, “No animals would have to pay with their lives if everyone would spay, neuter and adopt animals from shelters. Until then, the least we owe those who must be euthanized is a painless, peaceful passing.”

Fortunately for Andrea, the unusually lucky black cat, she has a new lease on life and can leave the entire discussion behind her as she settles into her new home to enjoy her remaining seven lives.

Read more: Adoptable pets, Animal Rights, Cats, Feline Muse, Pets, euthanize, neuter, spay

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Kent S.

9:36PM PST on Feb 22, 2012

That is one iron will to live. I hope she can live another 8 lives in a safe and loving place.

send a green star

Susan G.

4:10AM PST on Feb 22, 2012

Yes this cat is a symbol of everything that is wrong with killing 'surplus' cats. Euthanizing an animal should only be used when an animal is suffering unnecessarily and there is little of no hope of survival. Anything else is murder. This cat did not survive being euthanized, it survived attempted murder.

I also agree with the comment that everytime an 'owner' allows their cat ir dog to have babies they are condeming sheltered and/or rescued cats or to deaths.

Karen H.

11:44AM PST on Feb 21, 2012

And I would rather like to see parts of my paid federal taxes go into animal welfare projects like this than having to accept that alone 20 % of my taxes are used for defense - we humans should know how to live peacefully and to respect others as we teach our children to live peacefully and to respect others.

If all adults would respect that basic principle we probably would not even need that big defense systems.

11:38AM PST on Feb 21, 2012

If everyone would spay and neuter ...

It would be so easy to achieve this task - if the life of pets and wild animals would be as inviolable as Human dignity shall be.

I don't see any issue by creating a gene bank where at least all pets would registered.
So if any owner fails to spay / neuter his pet the owners of the parent animals could be tracked down.
And if one of their pets offspring end up in shelters the irresponsible owners of the parent animals should have to pay for their stay, plus a high fine of at least few hundred dollars up to few thousand and / or have to go to jail for attempting murder of the offspring of their pets.

If failing responsibility for pets hurts financially and could damage the status of a person/family the owners would think twice if they let their pets reproduce uncontrolled.

And yes. same goes for professional breeders and animal mill owners, pet store owners. If one of their animals offspring ends up in a shelter they should have to pay even more money for being not responsible enough to educate the new owners of the long term responsibilities.

And each traded pet (private and/or business) has to be reported to authorities (similar to cars and properties) to keep track of who owns which pet(s) to facilitate control and disciplinary actions.

If that would become law, the problem with the overpopulation of animals would change in a split second plus the government would also create thousands of new jobs.

And I am more t

Jeanne B.

12:39PM PST on Feb 17, 2012

What does it say about us? The human race? Anyhow, I'm glad this cat survived all of this and is now becoming a symbol of the anti-euthanizing movement!

Grainne O.

11:56AM PST on Feb 17, 2012

Every time someone buys a cat or lets their cat have kittens they are condeming a shetler cat to this type of death.

Jane T.

1:42AM PST on Feb 9, 2012

lucky cat.

Peter M.

6:34PM PST on Feb 4, 2012

thanks for sharing

Lenička R.

3:28PM PST on Feb 2, 2012

I will never understand how anyone can put a living species in a gas chamber.
I will never understand the Nazi's who did that with humans but I also can not understand that you go working in a shelter and then put a healthy dog or cat or other animal in that gas chamber.
That kind of people must have other genes and brains and a stone on the place where use to be a heart.
And how is it possible that a civilized country as the US used gas chambers ?
There are several petitions against gas chambers in shelters. This is one of them.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/inthenameofmypetpetitions/#13282249330612&action=fb_connect&fb_id=0

Veronique L.

1:54PM PST on Feb 2, 2012

What a strong little cat!!
And I agree with Paula: stop gassing animals!