Meet Syria’s ‘cat man of Aleppo’ looking after the pets people leave behind

What do you do with your beloved pet cat when you’re forced to flee your home and your country? Take them with you or abandon them and hope they’re okay?

For people in Syria, there’s a third option - you go to the ‘cat man of Aleppo’.

Mohammad Alaa Aljaleel started off taking in 20-30 cats but within a year that had swelled to more than 100, and he now runs a sanctuary for the frightened felines.

Some are strays and others were much-loved pets left behind when their families fled the war-torn country.

Not many cat owners can take their pets with them when they flee (Picture: Rex)

Mohammad told BBC’s Panorama: “When people left the cats started coming to me. There were stray cats and cats left by their owners.

“Some people just left them with me knowing that I love cats.”

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He added: “Any stray cats in Aleppo or pet cats left behind by residents, we protect them in this little sanctuary.”

And for some owners, Mohammad is the only link they have to the beloved pet they had to leave behind - he sends daily photos to one girl who was forced to leave her pet cat behind when her family fled to Turkey.

For the ‘cat man’, many of whose own friends have left Syria, the animals are much-needed company.

He said: “Since everyone left the country, including my own friends, these cats have become my friends here.

“I said I’ll stay with them no matter what happens.”

(Top picture: Facebook/Mohammad Alaa Aljaleel)