A cat rescued from the rubble in the Nurdağı district of Gaziantep was reunited with her three kittens after the veterinarians performed an emergency cesarean section at Gaziantep Zoo.
The cat was saved after Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes rocked the region on Feb. 6, razing thousands of buildings to the ground and causing the deaths of at least 43,000 people.
During the search and rescue efforts, Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) teams pulled a cat out of the rubble on the 11th day after the earthquake. Upon realizing that the cat was expecting, the teams reported the situation to the Gaziantep Zoo teams.
The cat gave birth to three kittens after the medical team, including Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Head of Natural Life Protection Department Celal Özsiyer, performed the cesarean section.
Berna Sarıçiçek, the director of the Veterinary Affairs Department of the Natural Life Protection Department, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that since the first day of the earthquake, they, like all the units of the metropolitan municipality, have taken action to rescue the animals and provide them the adequate treatment.
Explaining that there was no major damage at their animal shelters, Sarıçiçek said: "After realizing that our shelter was safe, we thought about what we could do for the nearby provinces. We could not communicate by phone, so we moved to the Nurdağı and Islahiye districts and the surrounding provinces, with a team of 65 people, eight of whom were veterinarians. There was no personnel in Kahramanmaraş's shelter."
"First, we fed and cleaned the animals there and in Hatay. We sent food to the shelter in Şanlıurfa. Since then, we have been trying to help everywhere, both in the center, in the districts and nearby provinces," she said.
"When she went into labor when she was trapped under the rubble. The AFAD teams found her and contacted us. Here, we performed a cesarean section. Unfortunately, one kitten died, but we saved the mother with the other three kittens. Currently, she is being treated with serum. She still refuses to eat. She is receiving treatment in intensive care with her cubs. We think she will be okay in 15 days," Sarıçiçek maintained.