Andrea the cat survives multiple euthanization attempts at Utah shelter

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - Andrea the cat was picked up as a stray and brought to a Utah animal shelter. After no one came to claim her, she was euthanized -- or at least, that's what everyone thought.

After an employee ran the gas chamber, he opened the door and found that she was still alive. The employee decided to give it another shot, closed the chamber and ran the gas again.

After running the gas a second time, he thought she was dead. The shelter worker then put Andrea in a bag and stuffed her in a cooler.

About 45 minutes later, a couple of shelter employees came in to put a dog they had just euthanized in the cooler, and they heard a meow. They looked at each other and they heard the meow again, this time even louder.

They tore open the bag, and there was Andrea, looking at them terrified, wide eyed and very much still alive.

The shelter's manager finally handed Andrea over to the Community Animal Welfare Society. She's doing well, and Tte organization hopes she becomes the "spokescat" against gas chambers.

Animal welfare groups have taken issue with the method of euthanasia used on Andrea, blasting it as cruel.

But shelter says, as bizarre as this incident was, they stand by their method.

"This is actually a recommended method by the American Veterinarian Association and we follow all the procedural guidelines that they give us," said Aaron Crim, a West Valley City, UT Spokesman. "We've never had an instance like this since we started using this method so it does work. It's actually very humane and it's very quick. This is just an anomaly."

Andrea the cat appears to be healthy with no ill after effects of the euthanasia.  

She is now up for adoption.