‘Umut’ becomes mascot of cat hospital in central Turkey

ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

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A stray cat found two years ago in the Central Anatolian province of Osmaniye without two of his front legs can now walk using only his hind legs, after one year of treatment. 

After being found in a sorry state on a railroad by local animal lovers, the cat was taken to the Cat Hospital in the Turkish capital Ankara, where he was taken under treatment. 


After three rounds of surgery, the cat, which was named “Umut” (Hope) by hospital staff, had to remain in the intensive care unit and only began to walk again after a one-year treatment process. 

 “We have been together with Umut since we found him. He did his best to survive and we learned from him to be hopeful too,” vet Tarkan Özçetin said.


“We did not have a chance to save his front legs, and his wounded hind leg needed treatment. He is now very healthy and lives with other people in harmony. Now his physical wounds have healed, he is trying to heal his psychological wounds. When he first came here he was fearful and did not trust people. He still has some fear but he has mostly managed to defeat it,” Özçetin added. 

 “Umut now has a serious fan base on social media. Many people wanted to adopt him. Some even claimed they were his owners and filed a suit against us, but we did not give him to anyone. He is now the mascot of our hospital,” he also said.