After being swept away by floodwaters to the brink of death, a lucky kitten in Istanbul was rescued by a road worker turned lifesaver.

When he saw the stray kitten lying still, deposited by heavy rains in the metropolis Wednesday, city worker Metin Keskin resuscitated it back to life.

"It's very healthy now. I'm so happy, too. It's become our kitten now," Keskin told reporters on Thursday at an animal care center in the city's Tepeören neighborhood.


He recounted how he came across the kitten in the city's Asian district of Pendik, where workers were sent to clear away floodwaters. "We saw the kitten on the roadside. When we first took it in our hands, it was unconscious, it wasn't making any sound," Keskin said.

But then after massaging it and giving it mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, first aid skills taught by the city government, the kitten revived, and let out a weak meow, he added. "We did our duty, and we're happy," he said.

Keskin said the kitten belongs to Istanbul and asked locals to help give it a name.

Mevlüt Maytalman, a veterinarian, said the kitten had suffered hypothermia due to getting soaked and losing body heat. "We started treating it immediately," Maytalman said, adding that the kitten is doing well now. He said after 24 hours of observation, it will go to a new home.