When people left the devastated war zone in Aleppo, Syria, the cats there found their way to a man who stayed behind with them and gave them a second chance at life.
“When people left, the cats started coming to me,” Mohammad Alaa Jaleel told BBC News.
Since 2012, the city of Aleppo has been a dangerous battleground. Approximately 40,000 people have fled the city in hopes to survive and start new lives elsewhere.
Alaa couldn’t leave because he had so many cats that depended on him. At first, he found about 20 cats, which were left behind by families that fled the area. He cared for them along with the strays that he had rescued.
In just a matter of a year, the number of cats rose to over 100. So, he founded a sancturary — Il Gattaro d’Aleppo. This way, the kitties could a place to call home.
As more residents left the city, he found even more cats in desperate need for care. Now, he is known as “the cat man of Aleppo.”
One day, a little girl came to him with a kitten.
“She cried as she handed her over to me and they left the country,” Alaa said.
The girl missed her cat a lot, and asked Alaa to send her pictures of her beloved cat. So he did.
“Please promise to return my cat back to me when we come back,” the girl said to Alaa.
Most people have left the city including Alaa’s friends, so the cats have become his family.
“I’ll stay with them no matter what happens,” he said. “Someone who has mercy in their heart for people, has mercy for every living thing.”
“I’ll stay with them no matter what happens!”
A man with a huge heart, in a horrible situation. Share with friends!
Man Cares for Cats Left Behind in War Zone and Will Stay with Them No Matter What Happens, Incredible Story…
