Turkish firefighter rescues cat trapped in rubble; adopts it after animal refused to leave his side

TURKEY (KABC) -- A Turkish firefighter helped rescue a cat from the rubble of a collapsed building following a recent massive earthquake that rocked both Turkey and Syria and killed thousands of people, and the animal hasn't left his side since.

Video of the rescue has gone viral, which shows the firefighter wearing a bicycle helmet and goggles with the black and white cat on his shoulder.
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Eyewitness News learned the firefighter is named Ali Cakas, who is also a world-class mountain biker.

The 33-year-old is one of many Turkish firefighters still trying to find people and animals who are trapped underneath the rubble but are still alive.

The cat was reportedly trapped for 10 days and nights and has not left Cakas' side since the rescue.

Cakas is also a coach for the Turkish national mountain bike team. Since the cat would not leave his side, Cakas took the animal home and has since adopted it.
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According to social media, he's named it Enkas, which means "rubble" in Turkish.



"Rubble" the cat has now become the mascot of Cakas' fire department.