Cat, Kittens Found Alive In WTC Rubble
Vet: All Eating Well, Should Recover
Posted: 2:08 p.m. EDT October 18, 2001 Updated: 3:40 p.m. EDT October 18, 2001
NEW YORK -- The World Trade Center recovery effort has brought plenty of sadness, and some extraordinary tales of survival, including one of a very resourceful cat.
Beneath the rubble, in a forgotten basement of what was once a restaurant, rescuers found the blast survivor, curled up in a carton of napkins.
The owner of the restaurant made the discovery about two weeks after the disaster. He immediately called rescuers.
Dr. John Charros said that the cat had given birth to three beautiful kittens.
"Mom was very emaciated, very thin and dehydrated. She's suffering from the flu. She's still getting over that now, and had a little secondary bacterial infection. The babies were in pretty good shape; they had been feeding well. I think mama weighed in at five pounds when she was first brought in. She should probably weigh somewhere between eight and 10 pounds," Charros said.
Doctors immediately hospitalized the animals and predict a full recovery. Mom has been christened "Hope." The babies are being called "Freedom," "Amber" and "Flag."
Shelter operators at Brooklyn's Center for Animal Care and Control said
that they've found homes for the cat and kittens. They should be able to
leave the hospital in November.
-- Anonymous, October 18, 2001