A cat named Galt next to a Republic hardhat and vest, which was worn by his owner during the rescue at the landfill.

SEBASTIAN – When Cherie Thompson couldn’t find her cat Galt, she went on the Nextdoor app hoping that someone may have seen him.

However, she had a hunch that he was hiding in a sofa that her neighbors removed from her home earlier in the day. He had a way of getting inside the back of the couch to hide.

Realizing that Galt may still be inside of the sofa, she rushed to the dump in Fellsmere to locate the couch. The Fellsmere Police Department also assisted Cherie’s search for her cat. Unfortunately, they could not find the sofa.

Cherie had to wait to talk to someone else at the dump because the couch was either buried underneath other upholstery or taken to the main landfill off of Oslo Road in Vero Beach.

The next day someone at the Fellsmere dump helped Cherie dig through a dumpster that was 12 feet deep, but the couch was nowhere in sight. The Fellsmere Police Department also tried searching, but nothing was found.

“The supervisor met me over there in Fellsmere and dug through the dumpster for me. Trouble is, they are 12 feet deep, and he couldn’t find the sofa,” Cherie said.

The supervisor told Cherie that the dumpster and other contents would be transported to Vero Beach and they will carefully slide out the contents and allow her to be there on site.

“I can’t believe how kind everyone has been. I believe in miracles and trust that everything would work out,” Cherie said.

The next day, she went to the Vero Beach Landfill where everyone made arrangements to take her up to the top where the dumpster was to be dropped off.

“We located the dumpster, the men took all the garbage out and cut out the back of the sofa,” Cherie said. They found Galt, her cat, and she was overwhelmed with gratitude. “We were all concerned that if we did find Galt he would run. But Galt was brave and sunk into my arms, he knew he was safe and going home.”

“It was truly one miracle after the next, opening doors along the way,” she added.

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Cherie would like to thank Officer Raddock of the Fellsmere Police Department, Scott Floyd of the Republic, along with his boss Brian Lewis (Operations Manager at Republic Services), and Ed Athorn, the driver.

“All were so kind and professional. I will always be grateful for the way Scott handled the situation and went out of his way to help me, and especially Galt,” Cherie said.

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