Upon meeting Amira the dog, Junior the kitten immediately made up her mind that Amira was going to be her mother. Junior was persistent in her pursuit and wouldn’t take “no” as an answer from Amira.
Meet Amira, a stray dog residing near the renowned cat sanctuary, Il Gattaro d’Aleppo, in Syria’s war-torn region. Alaa, also known as “The Cat Man of Aleppo,” established the sanctuary and takes care of Amira as well. However, due to safety issues, Amira cannot live among the 80 feline inhabitants of Il Gattaro d’Aleppo.
Alaa had a heartwarming gesture of kindness when he found out that Amira was expecting. He allowed Amira to rest in his room until her delivery date, with the hope of giving her some level of comfort. However, things took an unfortunate turn when Amira went into labor and none of the puppies survived.
Alessandra Abidin, a friend of Alaa who manages the Facebook page for Il Gattaro d’Aleppo from her residence in Italy, expressed her sorrow and disbelief at Alaa’s situation. To comfort her, they gave her a plush teddy bear to hug since she was extremely distressed.
Similar to Amira’s situation, Junior the feline also experienced the loss of her family and had no home to live in. Fortunately, Alaa discovered her while she was wandering on the streets and took her to Il Gattaro d’Aleppo where she found a new place to call home.
As soon as Junior arrived at the sanctuary, she felt right at home. She took the time to acquaint herself with all the cats living there, and even spotted Amira, who typically hangs out near the entrance with one of her favorite teddy bears.
Abidin shared that when she noticed the teddy bear belonging to the dog, she approached Amira slowly to play with her. Surprisingly, Amira allowed Junior, the kitten, to crawl on top of her without any resistance. Abidin further mentioned that they stumbled upon the duo playing together and to their amazement, Amira didn’t seem to mind the kitten riding on her back. In fact, Abidin claimed that it appeared as if Amira was smiling throughout their playtime.
Amira loves to visit Il Gattaro d’Aleppo frequently, and each time she is welcomed by Junior. Despite being smaller and a different species, Amira has grown fond of Junior, and it appears to be mutual. They spend their time playing, sharing food, and napping together. Abidin said that they named Amira after the princess because of her noble soul.
