White Plains Woman Arrested After Throwing Cat 20 Stories Down Trash Chute: SPCA

What to Know

  • Maintenance workers in White Plains found Cotton the cat in a trash compactor after a woman allegedly threw it down a trash chute
  • The feline miraculously survived the 20-stories fall without any serious injuries
  • White Plains police took the 40-year-old woman into custody and she was charged with animal cruelty and abandonment of a cat

A cat survived a 20-stories fall down a trash chute in White Plains earlier this month and the woman believed to be responsible has been arrested, the SPCA of Westchester said Tuesday.

Officials say maintenance workers heard noises coming from a black plastic bag in the trash compactor on 25 Bank Street on June 12. Inside the bag, they found Cotton the cat alive in a pet carrier bag and upon investigation, SPCA officers discovered that 40-year-old Romy Goldsmith Shapiro had thrown out her cat from the 19th floor.

The feline spent around 8 hours in the trash compactor before its discovery and transport to a local hospital.

"Miraculously, Cotton survived without any serious injuries. We are so thankful workers found her in time," SPCA Executive Director Shannon Laukhuf said in a statement.

White Plains police took Shapiro into custody and she was charged with animal cruelty and abandonment of a cat.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether Shapiro had legal representation.

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