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Pets

Pisa, one of Virginia Beach’s newest residents, saved from ruins of Turkey earthquake

The Virginian-Pilot
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Pisa the cat, pictured here, was rescued after a destructive earthquake destroyed his home in Turkey. Now, he lives with his owner, Alex, in Virginia Beach.

Pisa the cat, pictured here, was rescued after a destructive earthquake destroyed his home in Turkey. Now, he lives with his owner, Alex, in Virginia Beach. (Courtesy of PETA)

When a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck southern and central Turkey in February, Pisa the cat lost everything.

But thanks to one Virginia Beach man, he was given the opportunity of a lifetime — or nine.

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Alex Cutshall, a field-worker for PETA, was in Turkey during the aftermath to help animals who survived the earthquake. Tasked with pulling pets from the rubble, he ended up in Marash, where much of the infrastructure had been destroyed. After finding a house tilted like the Leaning Tower of Pisa and noticing an animal inside, Cutshall coaxed out the scared kitten with food.

“Everywhere we turned to, there were family members or military personnel saying, ‘Hey, I know of this dog or this cat that’s trapped in this house. Can you go check it out?’ And, of course, we would go do that,” Cutshall said. “So with Pisa’s specific situation, we were just walking on the streets of Marash and I saw him poke his little head out from outside of the exposed wall.”

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Alex Cutshall and his family pose with Pisa, a cat that Cutshall rescued from rubble in Turkey. A major earthquake devastated much of the country.

Alex Cutshall and his family pose with Pisa, a cat that Cutshall rescued from rubble in Turkey. A major earthquake devastated much of the country. (Courtesy of PETA)

As of March 20, more than 45,000 people were confirmed dead in Turkey and in Syria. Some 214,000 buildings containing 608,000 apartments either collapsed or suffered heavy damage, according to Turkey’s disaster management agency. Because many have been displaced from their homes, their pets no longer have caretakers. This is where fieldworkers like Cutshall come in. According to PETA, hundreds of animals have been saved in Turkey through the Global Compassion Fund, including dogs and other cats like Pisa.

When found, Pisa was not microchipped, and nobody was nearby to claim him. So Cutshall brought him 8,000 miles to Hampton Roads. PETA helped get Pisa cleared to travel to the United States, and Pisa spent the entire flight to Virginia purring in Cutshall’s lap.

“He’s playful, especially at nighttime,” Cutshall said. “He’s getting into things and is very curious, exploring bits of the house that he hasn’t quite explored yet. He loves hanging out on our cat tower during the day, taking naps and watching the birds.”

Pisa lives in Virginia Beach with Cutshall and his family and their other pets.

“He’s doing really, really great. He is adjusting well with our two dogs and other cat,” Cutshall said. “My kids love him. My dogs, they’re just now starting to cuddle with him which is really cute.

“He’s enjoying the inside life of a cat, which is probably what he started off with. I’m just so glad that he’s not outside in the elements.”

Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com

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