Mr. Rogers once said that when scary things happened, his mother would tell him: “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” When a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and Syria recently, the grief over the loss of thousands and thousands of people hit everyone around the world. But one story emerged that showed that not everything is lost, if you can just find the helpers. 

Firefighter Ali Cakas, 33, had been searching the ruins of collapsed buildings for any survivors. When he came to a destroyed apartment block, he heard a sound. Following it, he quickly found a black and white cat, which he pulled from the ruins of the destroyed apartments. It had been trapped, he said, for nearly 129 hours, since the earthquake struck.

Ali Cakas gets snuggled by a cat that he rescued from the wreckage of an apartment building that was destroyed by an earthquake in Turkey. Photo by BBC

Once freed, the cat, now named Enkaz which is Turkish for ‘debris’, stuck close to his rescuer, following as Cakas continued searching for wreckage. Cakas and his fellow firefighters began considering Enkaz as their temporary mascot, still hoping they might find his owner somewhere alive. Pictures, which gave a bit of joy during such a tragic time, showed Enkaz perched on Cakas shoulder, while he rested following a hard day.

When a tweet about Cakas and the rescued cat made its way across Twitter, the story of hope went viral. Video of the pair now has more than 11 million views. Sadly, no one came looking for the cat. Realizing his owner likely didn’t make it out, Cakas decided that the cat would go home with him once his job was done.

Ali Cakas feeds Enkaz, a cat that he rescued from the wreckage of an apartment building that was destroyed by an earthquake in Turkey. Photo by BBC

Now the cat has become part of his family, eating alongside them on a rug at his new home. As the devastation from the earthquake became worse by the day, people found hope in Cakas’ rescue of Enkaz. Praise poured in from all over the world.

• “This cat is amazing… he’s got a safe and stable rock to stand on (and snuggle up to).”
• “All the best to both of you! Cats know who good humans are, you were chosen for a reason. I hope the sadness in Enkaz’s eyes will disappear. Warm greetings from France.”

Cakas told reporters,

My mother, father, brothers and sisters are supporting me. We see the cat as a member of the family. ‘The cat didn’t break up with me, nor did I break up with him. I now take care of him in my house.”

‘”e has never fallen from my lap since the day he arrived. We bonded quickly. We both had a tough time. We’ll get through this trauma by hugging each other.” The cat, Cakas said, is “smart, beautiful and docile,” but said he sees “sadness” in Enkaz’s eyes over the loss of his former owner and home.

He’s been sad since the day he arrived. Animals also have feelings. In this sense, I try to do everything I can.”

Watch the cat’s amazing story of survival!

Sources: Daily Mail | ABC7