Panda the cat would have suffered a brutal death in the jaws of a trash compactor if not for an eagle-eyed can collector who spotted the handsome tuxedo among the trash.
The little guy was literally double-bagged in a blue plastic bag and a larger trash bag, then thrown in a dumpster in the Bronx. There were holes in the inner bag where Panda had tried to claw his way out — and bits of plastic bag caught on his claws — but he had been unable to free himself.
Thankfully, someone looking for cans to recycle opened the outer bag, saw Panda and called 911. NYPD cops brought Panda to the ASPCA Animal Recovery Center in Manhattan, where staff began treating him for malnutrition, skin disease and a “minor gastrointestinal infection,” the Daily News reported.
Despite all he’d been through — the neglect, abandonment and trauma of being tossed out like a piece of garbage — Panda was “sweet and social” with his rescuers.
They placed him in a foster home under the care of 22-year-old Abigail Jasak, who decided to keep him after he quickly made himself at home and won over Jasak and her roommates.
“Initially I had no intention of adopting him,” Jasak told the Daily News. ”Then I realized how comfortable he was around us. He already believed he was home.”
Jasak told the paper she was disturbed by the casual cruelty of tossing a cat in the garbage.
“There are other options,” said the Pace University student. ” You can bring it to a shelter. I truly cannot comprehend how someone threw away such a sweet cat.”
Big Buddy’s note: I’ve been to the ASPCA’s Upper East Side facility and visited in 0 B.B. (Before Bud, aka 2014) while I was looking to adopt. It’s a beautiful, incredibly clean, bright facility where each animal has significantly more space than they would in a normal shelter, and the staff are friendly and helpful. As awful as Panda’s situation was, I’m glad they were able to help him and pair him with a human who really cares for the little guy.
Pain In The Bud 
Foster fail! I love it!
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A well deserved home for a little guy who’s been through so much.
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The best fails are foster fails! 🙂
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Glad the kitty was found and rescued …. But so upset with the nonhumans who put animals in the trash.
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Despite all he’d been through, the little guy still trusted people and was loving with the ASPCA staff and his new humans.
Nonhuman is the right word for whoever threw him away like garbage. That person didn’t deserve him.
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You’re absolutely right, whoever had him didn’t deserve him. They couldn’t even be bothered to feed him and bring him to the vet, and finally tossed him into the trash. Too bad these “people” will probably never be identified.
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This is beyond disturbing. I am so glad he is ok.
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Nothing worse than some heartless scumbag hurting any animal … I wish someone does it to them
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I just don’t get how someone can do such a cruel thing to an animal. Panda’s used up a few of his nine lives and deserves the best home with lots of love and treats!
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I have heard other reports of this sort of thing happening, and had a co-worker, almost 30 years ago now, who took in one such cat that he rescued from a similar fate.
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I don’t even want to think about how many aren’t discovered.
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Yes, exactly.
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Poor deer Panda Cat!!! Hee went thru so much!
Seein him inn plastick bagss made mee an BellaSita Mum cry….
How cuud sumone do that Big Buddy an Buddy?
Wee happy he iss inn a Foster Home that soundss like it will bee his mew fur ever home! Wee sure hope so!
***purrss*** an POTP BellaDahrma an {{{huggiess}}} BellaSita Mum
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I read a story about him in the NY Daily News, headlined “Cool cat rescued from garbage grave,” May 10 …
He’s even more evidence (as though there wasn’t enough evidence already) that there’s a tragic human-nature propensity to perceive the value of life (sometimes even human life in regularly war-torn or overpopulated famine-stricken global regions) in relation to the conditions enjoyed or suffered by that life. With the mindset of feline disposability, it might be: ‘Oh, there’s a lot more whence they came’.
Also, with their vertical slit pupils and Hollywood-cliché fanged hiss when confronted, in a world mostly hostile toward snakes (including me), cats may have a permanent PR problem with much of humankind, despite their Internet adorable-pet dominance. Yet, these mammals’ qualities, especially their non-humanly innocence, make losing them such a great heart break for their owners.
Beautiful yet often misunderstood, prejudged and unjustly despised animals, cats are. And only when overpopulations of unwanted cats are greatly reduced in number by responsible owners consistently spaying/neutering their felines might these beautiful animals’ presence be truly appreciated.
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I know I am late to the part. Thankfully I only just read this. I don’t know if I could have managed reading it earlier.
The disposal of a living sentient being like this makes me cry. What is wrong with people?
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