In this little corner of the internet it is all things feline where we celebrate the love and magic of the creatures we share our lives with. A place of joy and curiosity, a place to find something new that lightens your day. A little fun, a little artsy, a little joyous.

But sometimes something stop you in your tracks and makes you think again. And this is one of those moments.

No one can escape the news that there is war going on around the world, in far too many places. Brutal and horrific. Images of such sadness come everyday that we become a bit immune, put it in the back of our minds and go on about our day. We don’t stop and think about it. We don’t wonder how the mothers feed their children? How do they make cups of tea and coffee if there is no water? How to occupy the children? Is there school?

And you never stop to think about animals.

Animals in a war zone?

But what about the zoo animals, the wildlife. The pets. What of them? Are there any?

There is a story from Aleppo, the Syrian city that virtually is rubble, where the few remaining residents struggle to exist. And there is one very special man.

Mohammad Alaa Jaleel is known as the “Cat Man of Aleppo”.

He has assumed the role of caretaker for all the cats. Cats left behind by their owners who fled the war torn city. The strays, the pets, the kittens. In a place of mass desolation one man is trying to maintain some humanity by caring for the cats who got lost in the war. What started as 20 cats soon grew to over 100 as the cats find their way to him. And pets are left with him as residents flee the war zone. One little girl tearfully hands over her beloved cat to him and daily asks him to send her photos of her cat, while she is in a refugee camp.

A truly remarkable man.