"Locks Eyes and Jumps In for a Hug"... 'Angel Cat' Hugs the Shop Owner Who Saved Him Every Day [Video]

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\r\n[The Financial News] A heartwarming story has emerged from Republic of Türkiye about a cat that runs to the shop owner who rescued and cared for him as a kitten, greeting him with a warm hug every day.
According to The Dodo and local outlet DHA, which The Electronic Times cited on the 2nd, the special bond between Ferhat Hayat, who runs a glass and kitchenware shop in Ardeşen, Rize Province in northern Türkiye, and a stray cat named Shakir has become a hot topic.
Their relationship goes back about a year. A few days after opening his shop, Hayat found a hungry kitten wandering around the store. The kitten had just opened its eyes, and its mother was nowhere to be seen.
Feeling sorry for the kitten, Hayat and his family brought it inside the shop, fed it well, and prepared a warm bed so it would not have to shiver in the cold outside. They also paid for a veterinary checkup and vaccinations out of their own pocket. Hayat named the cat Shakir.
Since that day, Shakir has been showing up at Hayat's shop every day as if repaying the kindness. Hayat explained, "Shakir appears from somewhere and comes to the front of the shop at the same time every day." He added, "He opens the shop with us and stays with us for about 12 to 13 hours a day until we close."
Shakir became a social networking service (SNS) star thanks to his unique and adorable way of greeting people. When Hayat sits at the counter and opens his arms, Shakir jumps up without hesitation and wraps his two front paws tightly around Hayat's neck.
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\r\nHayat said, "At first, I saved the shop's Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) footage to show my family and posted it on TikTok and other SNS platforms, but I never expected it to spread like this." As of the 2nd, the video had already surpassed 2.7 million views.
Some internet users mistook the shop for a grocery store after watching the video, but Hayat's store actually sells fragile glassware and kitchen items. Hayat expressed his affection, saying, "There are many breakable items in the shop, but amazingly, Shakir has never broken a single thing."
Viewers reacted warmly to the video, saying, "It seems the cat knows how to repay kindness," "The hugging scene is so adorable it warms my heart," and "An angel has come to a shop owner with a beautiful heart."
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moon@fnnews.com Moon Young-jin Reporter