MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Who is Binx the cat? Pet rescued from collapsed Florida condo reunited with family

'I'm glad that this small miracle could bring some light into the lives of a hurting family today,' said Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava

The tragic collapse of the Surfside tower in Florida has been haunting the nation for weeks now, but we finally have some good news. On July 9, it was reported that a cat belonging to one of the families from the condo survived the deadly collapse, and was reunited with his family. 

Early on June 24, the 12-story building in Surfside collapsed suddenly, shocking neighbors and millions across the nation. On July 4, rescuers gave up hope of finding any more survivors and announced the remains of the building would be demolished. One of the survivors, Steve Rosenthal, filed a lawsuit against the condo association over the collapse. The tragedy has also inspired closer inspections in other major towers, with TikTok videos revealing that they too are in danger of collapsing.

RELATED ARTICLES

Surfside building collapse: Who are Oreo and Phorce? Hero K9s working amid rubble to save lives

Surfside condo collapse: Tourist Adriana Sarmiento cried 'they all died' as she filmed tragedy

So far, we've had very little good news from the Surfside tower. Reportedly, 61 people are still unaccounted for and presumed dead. There are also numerous pets who have gone missing, with rescue workers having laid traps in hope that some of them will emerge. Now we have our first confirmation that one of the pets did survive, a black cat named Binx.

Who is Binx?

The survival of Binx was confirmed by Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava during a press conference on Friday, July 9. "I'm glad that this small miracle could bring some light into the lives of a hurting family today and provide a bright spot for our whole community in the midst of this terrible tragedy," she said. The mayor did not identify the family Binx belonged to. According to social media posts, Binx belonged to a family staying at #904 in Champlain Tower. An article by WSVN identified the owners as the Gonzalez family. Angela and her mother Deven Gonzalez were rescued for the collapse, and remain in hospital. Angela's father Edgar is still missing. 

"That’s actually Deven’s cat, so I’m sure she’s going to be over the moon knowing that they found her cat," Maria Gaspari, a family friend told the channel. She added, "I just can’t believe it. I just couldn’t believe it when we received the confirmation. This is a miracle for the whole Surfside community." The heartwarming story of Binx's rescue is also an interesting tale.

The feline was found "sticking around" the rubble by Miranda Anne, who took to Twitter to announce his discovery. She followed up her original tweet (since deleted) with another and asked, "Does anyone know who we can get in contact with if we might have found one of the missing cats, who was said to be alive?" Miranda then turned Binx into The Kitty Campus, a local animal shelter. 

The shelter then posted about Binx's discovery on its Facebook page. Gina Nicole Vlasek, a co-founder of the shelter later confirmed Binx was reunited with his family. "All we needed was a ray of hope in this tragedy… Today was one of the most amazing days.. one of the survivors came to see the cat and to determine if it was her families (sic) cat and IT WAS!" she posted on Facebook. Vlasek added, "We are so grateful to be able to help in any small way. These families lost so much but our south Florida communities team work was able to give them this. Thank you!"

'Too good not to share'

As news of Binx's rescue became public, many users took to social media to celebrate the news. One user tweeted, "Too good not to share. All of us in Miami just really needed this glimmer of life and resilience. May Binx the cat have eight more lives." Another said, "I am so happy to hear this! Very happy for Binx and their family." "Yes Binx! This little bit of good news brought tears to my eyes," one person tweeted. Another said, "All, I'm going to admit I teared up a little after hearing this announcement. I'm so glad Binx has been reunited."

Hopefully, Binx isn't the last pet to be rescued from the Surfside rubble. Even though the rescuers may not find more human survivors, there is hope for the many animals still missing.