VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A cat pulled from the rubble in Turkey has a new lease on life in Virginia Beach, thanks to one PETA rescuer.
"We bonded right away," said Alex Cutshall. "Within two to three days, he was running the show in this house."
Cutshall, a fieldworker with PETA, volunteered to rescue animals trapped in the ruins of cities across Turkey that were destroyed because of a 4.5 magnitude earthquake.
He said he raced against time to pull animals out before the buildings were demolished by crews clearing the areas. It was in one of these buildings that Cutshall spotted a little black cat.
"There was a crane operator a couple of blocks away, We were trying to hit those buildings that were soon to be torn down and we walked behind the backside of one and there Pisa was, just poking his head out," said Cutshall.
The nine-month-old cat was called "Pisa" because he was rescued from a building that resembled "The Leaning Tower of Pisa."
Cutshall booked a flight back to America, with Pisa in tow. This occurred just days before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) temporarily suspended pet travel from Turkey.
"They wanted him to stay in a soft carrier, but I was like there is no way and he hung out in my lap for most of the flight just purring and it was a great conversation starter," said Cutshall.
Now, Pisa has a new home with three other animal siblings. Cutshall said Pisa adds the final piece to their family.
"He's just incredible, and we all just love him so much," said Cutshall.
Cutshall said the "Global Compassion Fund" through PETA made it possible to respond to all types of emergencies and to help animals across the world.