Virginia cat rescued from landfill after being discarded with old couch

A Virginia family has been reunited with their six-year-old cat, Mike, after the animal was accidentally discarded with old furniture. Owner Neal Augenstein, a WTOP radio reporter, realized the cat may have been trapped inside one of three couches recently removed by a junk removal service.

The cat was transported to the Fairfax County I-66 Transfer Station, where heavy equipment operator Mauricio Martinez spotted Mike stranded on a ledge approximately 15 feet above the asphalt in a trash pit. Landfill workers used a loader bucket to carefully coax the frightened cat into the vehicle, successfully rescuing him from the dangerous environment.