A cat is lucky to be alive after she was discovered locked inside a kennel at the Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill in Prince George last week.

According to a news release from the SPCA, a man at the dump “heard a loud mewing among the heaps of garbage.” When he investigated the source of the sound he found a cat who had been abandoned and left to die inside a locked carrier. He immediately rushed the cat to the BC SPCA’s North Cariboo Branch.

“It is appalling that someone would throw a beautiful and loving animal out like a piece of garbage,” says Alex Schare, manager of animal centre services for the North Cariboo SPCA.

“The crate was filled with frozen urine and the poor cat was very cold, skinny and infested with fleas. There is no doubt she would have died if she had been left there much longer, trapped inside the cage.”

Schare said the cat would have faced a slow freeze to death if the man hadn’t found her and taken her in.

SPCA staff have named the cat Gloria, after Gloria Gaynor, the singer who made the 70’s song “I will survive” a musical anthem.

“There is no doubt that our furry little Gloria is a survivor. She is very friendly and is going to make someone a wonderful pet,” says Schare.

“We are treating her for fleas and building up her weight, but we’re confident she’ll make a full recovery.”

Once the mandatory stray-hold period is up, Gloria will be spayed and put up for adoption.

Schare added that it’s discouraging to see this type of thing, because the animal centre is there to help in those situations. 

“You know exactly what you’re doing when you leave an animal there in a locked kennel.”

To help Gloria and other animals in need at the North Cariboo SPCA, please visit spca.bc.ca/locations/north-cariboo.