GAZIANTEP, Turkey - A firefighter in Turkey has won the hearts of animal lovers around the world after adopting a cat he saved from under the rubble of a collapsed apartment block.

The black-and-white cat was rescued after being trapped for 129 hours following the magnitude 7.9 earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Feb 6, and it later refused to leave Mr Ali Cakas’ side.

As the 33-year-old firefighter continued to search for survivors in Nurdagi in the Gaziantep province of eastern Turkey, it continued to follow him, The Daily Mail reported.

While hoping for its rightful owner to show up, Mr Cakas and his colleagues named it Enkaz – the Turkish word for debris.

He also posted pictures and videos of the cat amid his rescue work, and these have been viewed more than 11 million times on Twitter.

Mr Cakas’ story was tweeted by Ukrainian influencer Anton Gerashchenko, who has 262,000 followers and is an adviser to the war-torn country’s Minister of Internal Affairs.

It was later assumed that Enkaz’s owner had died in the quake, after no attempt was made to claim the cat.

Mr Cakas, who used to race for Turkey’s national mountain bike team, eventually adopted the cat before returning to his home city of Mardin, around 400km away from Nurdagi.

Enkaz now lives with Mr Cakas and his family, and his new master often posts photos on an Instagram account, with the handle @enkaz.tr.

The account has gained more than 11,000 followers worldwide, with many praising Mr Cakas for taking in Enkaz as the death toll in both countries reached over 46,000.

An Instagram user said: “This cat is amazing… he’s got a safe and stable rock to stand on (and snuggle up to).”

Another Instagram user from France added: “All the best to both of you! Cats know who good humans are, you were chosen for a reason. I hope the sadness in Enkaz’s eyes will disappear. Warm greetings from France.”

Mr Cakas said: “My mother, father, brothers and sisters are supporting me. We see the cat as a member of the family.

“The cat didn’t break up with me, nor did I break up with him. I now take care of him in my house. We sleep with him.”

He added that the cat has not left his side since he rescued him and they have been supporting each other since.

But it was not only Enkaz that Mr Cakas and his colleagues from the Mardin Metropolitan Municipality Fire Department saved.

In Nurdagi, they also pulled five people out of the rubble and rescued three Budgerigars – a species of bird –in their cages, along with another cat.

The other cat was reunited with its owner, who had managed to escape before the building collapsed, according to The Daily Mail.

Mr Cakas said he knew he would not be able to part ways with Enkaz after bonding with it. He described the cat as “smart, beautiful and docile”, and noticed sadness in its eyes over the loss of its old home and owner.

Mr Cakas said: “He’s been sad since the day he arrived... Animals also have feelings. In this sense, I try to do everything I can.”