A man taking his garbage to the Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill in Prince George came across an alarming discovery last week.
Alerted by a loud mewing among the heaps of garbage, the Good Samaritan investigated the source of the sound and 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," said 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."
Staff estimate the short-haired white cat is about three years old.
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," said 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.
