[PHOTOS] Everyday, This Incredible Man Feeds Over 150 Homeless Cats Of War-Torn Syria
When he isn’t busy saving lives, this kindhearted ambulance driver spends his day feeding over 150 cats that have been abandoned due to the Syrian civil war in Aleppo.
By Sadho Ram — 28 Sep 2014, 02:10 PM — Updated about 10 years ago
Alaa, an ambulance driver in war-torn Syria, knows all about the terrible realities of the ongoing civil war around him. While his job is to attend to the injured people of the conflict, outside of work he takes care of the homeless cats of Masaken Hanano in Aleppo.
Alaa, an ambulance driver, carries a cat in Masaken Hanano in Aleppo, 24 September 2014
Image via Hosam Katan/ReutersMasaken Hanano, a neighbourhood in Syria's largest city Aleppo, has been abandoned by humans because of continuous shelling from forces loyal to Syria's president Bashar Al-Assad. But Alaa visits there everyday to feed the cats who still populate the area.
Cats rest on a street in Aleppo while waiting for Alaa, an ambulance driver, to feed them
Image via Hosam Katan/ReutersAlaa said that he buys about USD4 (about RM13) worth of meat to feed about 150 homeless cats in the area. Without Alaa to care for them, the cats would likely starve in the largely deserted district.
Cats fight over food that Alaa (not pictured), an ambulance driver, fed to them in Masaken Hanano in Aleppo, 24 September 2014
Image via Hosam Katan/ReutersResidents fled the area because of shelling from forces loyal to Syria's president Bashar Al-Assad. The ongoing civil war in Syria has displaced an estimated 6.5 million people, with Aleppo suffering some of the worst devastation. By August 2014, the death toll from three years of fighting had risen to more than 191,000.
It's been over 2 months since he has been feeding and taking care of the cats. Here, Alaa is seen offering a nibble to this white cat.
Following reports of Alaa's selfless service to the felines, who have come to depend on him, many on social media have praised the man for his actions, with some even equating him to Abu Hurairah
Bless him "@Bosnian_Witness: This guy i would call Abu Huraira. Everyday he feeds ~150 abandoned cats #Aleppo #Syria pic.twitter.com/bctIBplKYT"
— Dame Rosie Arm-Kurds (@RosemaryTipping) September 26, 2014
‘Abd ar-Raḥmān ibn Ṣakhr ad-Dawsī al-Azdī, better known by the kunyah Abu Hurairah, was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. His name at birth was Abd al-Shams (servant of the sun). However, as a child, he had a cat and became known as "Abu Hurairah" (which literally means "Father of the Kitten" or more idiomatically "Of the kitten").
According to other versions, after embracing Islam Abu Hurairah looked after the mosque and Prophet Muhammad. He made it a regular habit to give the left over food to the stray cats. Gradually the number of cats around the mosque increased. He loved to caress and play with them. Hence he got the name Abu Hurairah - Father (care taker) of kitten.
While Alaa is trying his best to help the cats, in case you would like to help, here's the FB page of the photographer who took the pics
