“They Still Had Each Other”
In 2018, Ali Mese, an 83-year-old man, feared he had lost everything. In a devastating fire, his house had burned down, leaving him homeless and without belongings. But one item was spared above everything else: his small, blonde-furred kitten.
Mese, who resides in a tiny town in western Turkey, had been trying to light a gas burner inside his home, according to a news source. However, something went awry, and a tiny explosion in his living room set off a fire that spread throughout his single-story timber home.
Neighbors alerted the fire department, and rescue teams were able to save Mese, his wife, kid, and cat. But it was too late to rescue their home; it fell, leaving a jumble of timber boards and metal roofs in its wake.
Mese is seen cradling his terrified cat in an emotive shot as firefighters assess the damage. Mese leans against his cane while holding his kitten toward his chest with his other hand. Neither of them seemed willing to let go of the other.
Mese was hurt in the fire, but it wasn’t serious, so he had to go to the hospital. While he was recovering, his tale became viral in Turkey. In the hospital, the Turkish Red Crescent, which is affiliated with the international Red Cross, presented Mese with presents. The presents, however, weren’t for Mese; they were for his cat.
Officials from the Red Crescent are shown in one tweet providing Mese with a new kitty bed and carrier. Kerem Kinik, the head of the Red Crescent, remarked on Twitter, “Let’s keep him and his kitty warm.”
It wasn’t long until Mese was reunited with his beloved cat – in fact, the small kitten was carried straight to the hospital by someone. Mese is pictured holding his cat again in another adorable shot, but this time he has a smile on his face.
