A mother cat brought her sick kitten to a human hospital for help

In Istanbul, Turkey, a concerned mother cat brought her kitten to a hospital for help. Unfortunately, it was a human hospital's emergency room, not a vet, but fortunately, medics helped the poor cat and kitten anyway. Tweets and photos from Merve Özcan went totally viral. In the photos, you can clearly see the mother cat surrounded by paramedics, trying to get them to help her baby.

As sad as it was that this stray cat's kitten was sick, it is wildly impressive that she knew the hospital is where people (and animals) go to get help with their health. According to Bored Panda, Turkish media reports that even though the cat came to a human hospital, medics immediately jumped in to help. They inspected the kitten for obvious health problems, all while mom watched nearby.

While medics were looking after the little kitten, the mama cat was given milk and food to make her more comfortable. Bored Panda writes, "The Turks have long been known for their love and care for stray animals, with many leaving out food and water for them on the streets."

So there was no question that people at this human hospital would jump in and make sure this genius cat mom and her little one were OK. Soon after doctors checked out the kitten and made sure the situation wasn't dire, mother and baby were sent to a vet for proper evaluation.

The Turkish news and media covered every second of this story; people became so invested. And I understand why. The story also went viral on Reddit, where many shared their reactions in comments.

One commenter explained that, in Turkey, "stray cats and dogs are like everyone's pet. You can see food and water for these friends on every corner. Cats are welcome to sleep and live in mosques, etc. It's a beautiful place for stray animals." That's why it wasn't seen as surprising that this mom cat would place her trust in the humans in the hospital. She knew they would help. And now I'm emotional about a cat halfway around the world.

Because I know you're wondering, it's not clear what was wrong with the little kitten. Both mom and kitten seem to be doing OK, though, so that's the most important thing. According to one Reddit user, stray animals aren't just respected in Istanbul. They're also treated very well. "Istanbul does an AMAZING job with the stray animals," they write.

"They vaccinate them and store owners let the dogs sleep inside when it's raining. They are citizens of the city too and other places really should take notes." Another commenter confirmed this: "Dogs and cats are taken in to be vaccinated, neutered and earmarked before being let out on the streets again."

That's so good to hear. Often, strays are dismissed because the perception is that they don't get medical care, aren't vaccinated, and you don't know what kind of disease they might be carrying. But clearly, in Istanbul, stray animals live very different lives.

I mean, a cat walked into a human hospital and got care for her sick kitten, for goodness' sake! The level of trust is just astounding.

This article was originally published four years ago.