Thane building collapse: Cat survives in the arms of dead owner

The superstitious may say cats have nine lives, but this old wives' tale is not what saved a cat that was caught in the building collapse in Thane late on Monday night.

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Fire officials were surprised to spot the cat still alive in the arms of her deceased owner, whose body was the last to be pulled out of the building's debris yesterday. Pic/Sameer Markande

Instead, this feline owes her life to her owner, whose embrace shielded her from the worst of the impact. However, the 60-year-old resident perished himself. The cat was discovered last morning, still in her deceased owner's arms: a little worse for the wear, but very much alive.

During the rescue operation yesterday, the 60-year-old owner, Madhav Barve, was found dead under the rubble, but fire officials were surprised to spot the cat still alive in his arms. The pet was rushed to the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) hospital in Thane.

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"We have the cat, a 2-year-old female, with us. The incident has injured her spine and back leg, due to which she is finding it difficult to walk. We also carried out an X-ray and the animal has been provided necessary treatment," said Dr Sanjay Jadhav, manager, Thane SPCA.

However, with her owner's death and no one else available to look after her, she might now be handed over to an NGO for care. The owner Madhav was the last dead victim pulled out from the debris. He had been living alone in the building for the past year but took in the cat as he liked keeping pets.

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A close friend of Madhav revealed he is survived by his wife and son, both of whom work out of station and will soon arrive in Mumbai for the last rites.