diff --git a/ares_cancel.c b/ares_cancel.c
index e5bb050..465cc9e 100644
--- a/ares_cancel.c
+++ b/ares_cancel.c
@@ -26,33 +26,33 @@
 void ares_cancel(ares_channel channel)
 {
   struct query *query;
+  struct list_node list_head_copy;
   struct list_node* list_head;
   struct list_node* list_node;
   int i;
 
-  list_head = &(channel->all_queries);
-  for (list_node = list_head->next; list_node != list_head; )
+  if (!ares__is_list_empty(&(channel->all_queries)))
   {
-    query = list_node->data;
-    list_node = list_node->next;  /* since we're deleting the query */
-    query->callback(query->arg, ARES_ECANCELLED, 0, NULL, 0);
-    ares__free_query(query);
+    /* Swap list heads, so that only those queries which were present on entry
+     * into this function are cancelled. New queries added by callbacks of
+     * queries being cancelled will not be cancelled themselves.
+     */
+    list_head = &(channel->all_queries);
+    list_head_copy.prev = list_head->prev;
+    list_head_copy.next = list_head->next;
+    list_head_copy.prev->next = &list_head_copy;
+    list_head_copy.next->prev = &list_head_copy;
+    list_head->prev = list_head;
+    list_head->next = list_head;
+    for (list_node = list_head_copy.next; list_node != &list_head_copy; )
+    {
+      query = list_node->data;
+      list_node = list_node->next;  /* since we're deleting the query */
+      query->callback(query->arg, ARES_ECANCELLED, 0, NULL, 0);
+      ares__free_query(query);
+    }
   }
-#ifndef NDEBUG
-  /* Freeing the query should remove it from all the lists in which it sits,
-   * so all query lists should be empty now.
-   */
-  assert(ares__is_list_empty(&(channel->all_queries)));
-  for (i = 0; i < ARES_QID_TABLE_SIZE; i++)
-    {
-      assert(ares__is_list_empty(&(channel->queries_by_qid[i])));
-    }
-  for (i = 0; i < ARES_TIMEOUT_TABLE_SIZE; i++)
-    {
-      assert(ares__is_list_empty(&(channel->queries_by_timeout[i])));
-    }
-#endif
-  if (!(channel->flags & ARES_FLAG_STAYOPEN))
+  if (!(channel->flags & ARES_FLAG_STAYOPEN) && ares__is_list_empty(&(channel->all_queries)))
   {
     if (channel->servers)
     {