Earlier this week, Aykut Balli and his wife were taking their usual evening walk along the seaside near their home in Turkey when they noticed something floating in the waves.
“It’s a spot where we go every evening,” Balli told The Dodo. “Children were playing on the beach while we were out for a walk. Then, my spouse spotted a kitten [in the water]. I felt an overwhelming urge to act. It felt as if my own child were in the water.”
Balli hadn’t planned on swimming that evening — but in a flash, he jumped into the ocean to rescue the drowning kitten.
A passerby captured video of Balli’s heroic actions:
“It’s a living creature,” Balli said. “I jumped in without a second thought.”
After pulling the kitten from the sea, Balli dried her off with his towel and warmed her with the heater in his car. Later, he was able to find the kitten’s worried parent.
“Once I was sure she was OK, I reunited her with her mother,” Balli said. “The next morning, I bought some food and checked on the kitten’s health. Thankfully, the little rascal is doing well.”
But saving the kitten was just the beginning.
“We have a great plan in the works to help our cute little friends,” Balli said. “They’re going to have a home of their own.”
