Cool cat rescued from garbage grave

They call him Panda, but he’s one cool kitty.

A fortunate feline had to use one of his nine lives after a cruel cat owner dumped him in a Bronx trash can and tied him inside a garbage bag.

Were it not for an eagle-eyed can collector, the tabby would have been headed for the trash compactor.

Panda’s cat caper began on or before Feb. 6, when the can collector saw him inside a black trash bag.

The good Samaritan opened the bag and was horrified to find a live cat tied inside a second clear plastic bag, along with old reusable shopping bags.

Holes torn in the second plastic bag showed the cat had tried to claw his way out. The person who found him immediately called 911, and the NYPD swiftly transported the cat to the ASPCA Animal Recovery Center for examination and treatment.

After he was transported to the ASPCA, the black-and-white cat — then named Panda — was examined and found extremely underweight and showing signs of skin disease. His claws were frayed and had pieces of the plastic garbage bag stuck to them, further evidence that he’d been fighting to escape.

Despite his traumatic experience, vets said Panda was sweet and social, and allowed the medical team to examine him, vaccinate him and draw blood. After receiving treatment for a minor gastrointestinal infection and grooming to improve his skin, his weight improved enough that he was sent out to a foster caregiver, Abigail Jasak, to continue his recovery.

Five days later, Jasak and her roommates adopted him.

“Initially I had no intention of adopting him,” said Jasak, 22, a Pace University student who lives in Brooklyn. “Then I realized how comfortable he was around us.” Jasak said she was outraged that someone would abandon a pet so cruelly.

“There are other options,” she said. “You can bring it to a shelter. I truly cannot comprehend how someone threw away such a sweet cat.”