by An 83-year-old man lost his house and all his belongings but he had one thing he was desperately happy to not have lost – his cat.
A house fire broke out in the home of Ali Meşe, who lives in a small village in Turkey. He had been trying to light a gas stove but it caused a small explosion and the house began to burn down. Meşe’s neighbors noticed the blaze and immediately called firefighters, who managed to rescue Meşe, his wife, his son and their cat.
Their home was in ruins, but news media on the scene caught touching video and photos of Meşe hugging his cat.
In one photo, Meşe clings to the scared cat as firefighters survey what’s left of his home.
The two huddle with each other in the cold as snow falls and smoke billows from the fire.
Meşe was slightly injured in the fire and had to go to hospital but shortly after he was visited by his feline friend.
As news and the photos of Meşe and his cat spread in the press, the Turkish Red Crescent (a division of the International Red Cross) arrived to gave Meşe gifts in the hospital for his cat (a special carrier and cat bed).
The local Turkish government has also arranged a home for Meşe’s entire family so they will not be without a home this winter.
