Ulyanovsk, Russia - This cat owes all of its nine lives to one alert worker!

A spokesperson for the state-owned waste disposal company Gorkomhoz in Russia described the heart-stopping incident which could have ended in tragedy.

According to the post made on the social network VK, a cat was rescued from the conveyor belt feeding into a trash compactor at the very last second.

The fortunate feline didn't just stroll into the plant and hop onto the conveyor belt. "It was in a tied-up garbage bag," the Gorkomhoz spokesperson revealed. The happy ending was down to pure luck.

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"An employee found the animal while cutting up the garbage bag and preparing the contents for further sorting," the statement explained.

It added that illegal disposal of pets is a steadily growing problem in the region around Ulyanovsk, where the waste sorting plant is located.

Igor Perfiliev, the director of the Gorkomhoz plant, went on to say that the cat was well-fed, clean, and had apparently been cared for. This led him to assume that someone had tried to get rid of their pet.

"The cruelty of humans is surprising," Perfiliev continued, "A little further and the bag with the cat could have entered the separator."

The director also complained that this was the third such case in the past two months, with two red-eared slider turtles and a four-toed hedgehog previously rescued.

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The company issued an appeal on social media: "Please do not throw away your pets!" It reminded pet owners of their responsibility for their furry friends.

The cat was unharmed, but badly shaken. Now the Natural Resources Ministry for the Ulyanovsk region is looking for a name for the feline, who will be made an honorary deputy in charge of wildlife protection, according to The Moscow Times.

The title also comes with its own office: the cat will live in the ministry headquarters from now on and be cared for by the government employees.

Meanwhile, the police are looking for the person responsible for the heartless act, which is a crime under the Russian animal protection act. However, the probability of finding the culprit is very low.