Surfside, Florida – In the midst of the heartbreaking devastation in Surfside, Florida, a miraculous tale unfolds, complete with four tiny paws and a nod to a cinematic feline legend!
As rescue teams navigated the wreckage left by the condo building collapse on June 24, 2021, the focus shifted from search and rescue to recovery. Mayor Charles Burkett acknowledged the grim reality, stating, “While there seems to be no chance of finding life in the rubble, a miracle is still possible.”
And that miracle arrived in the form of Binx the cat.
Found on the ninth floor of Champlain Towers, Binx, a resilient male black tabby, defied the odds by emerging alive two weeks after the catastrophic event. FEMA located the lucky feline, promptly delivering him into the caring hands of volunteers at The Kitty Campus, a nearby animal shelter.
“He nibbled on wet kitten food and was happy to receive hugs and pets,” reported the organization. A heartfelt online search for his owners ensued, and on Friday, Tayler Gonzales positively identified Binx as their missing feline family member.
In a Facebook post, Gina Nicole Vlasek, co-founder of The Kitty Campus, expressed the profound joy of reuniting Binx with his family amid the tragedy. “Today was one of the most amazing days,” she wrote. “One of the survivors came to see the cat and to determine if it was her family’s cat, and it was! All we needed was a ray of hope in this tragedy.”
The striking resemblance between Binx and Thackery Binx from Disney’s Hocus Pocus did not escape social media users. Thackery Binx, a magical black cat in the movie, adds a touch of enchantment by living for three centuries.
“So Thackery Binx is real. Hocus Pocus was real,” exclaimed one Twitter user, capturing the astonishment shared by many online. The origins of Binx’s name remain a mystery for now.
The Gonzalez family, residing in unit 904 alongside Binx and their dog Daisy, faced severe injuries during the collapse. Angela and her daughter Deven were among the first victims rescued, with Deven even walking with a walker post-surgery. However, Edgar Gonzalez, the father, remains missing.
In the face of tragedy, Binx’s recovery becomes a beacon of hope. Gina Nicole Vlasek aptly stated, “Let this serve as a reminder to never, ever, give up hope!” Surfside’s Binx, having defied the odds, stands as a symbol of resilience, perhaps with a touch of magic from Thackery Binx himself.
