'Cat man' brings sanctuary to Syria's strays

KAFR NAHA, Syria - At an unlikely cat shelter in rebel-held northern Syria, Mohammed Alaa al-Jaleel gently holds a feline patient on her back as an ultrasound probe is rolled across her pregnant belly.

In a time of war, she is one of hundreds to have received medical attention at the makeshift animal clinic in Kafr Naha, an opposition-held town in Aleppo province.

"If you want to show mercy to people, start by showing mercy to everything else," says Jaleel, who runs Ernesto's Cat Sanctuary - named after his favorite furry friend.