A video shared on Facebook allegedly shows a cat being rescued from rubble after the 2023 earthquake in Turkey. 

Facebook/Screenshot

Verdict: False

The footage is from an earthquake that happened in the country’s in 2020, not the most recent disaster.

Fact Check:

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit southern Turkey Feb. 6, leaving 380,000 people homeless and killing over 20,000 in both Syria and Turkey, according to NPR. The Turkish government restored access to Twitter after receiving criticism for blocking the platform for “disinformation,” according to Reuters.

The Instagram video allegedly shows rescuers trying to free a cat from rubble caused by the recent earthquake in Turkey. The video shows a group of rescuers surrounding a cat as they attempt to free them from the rubble.  “Everyone pray for turkey,” the post’s caption claims.

The video predates the 2023 earthquake. The footage was first posted to Facebook and Twitter in 2020 by Tunç Soyer, the mayor of Izmir in Turkey. (RELATED: Does This Video Show An ‘Ascension’ Occurring After The Recent Earthquake In Turkey?)

“Izmir Fire Department Search and Rescue teams, which have saved lives since the first hour of the earthquake, just pulled four kittens alive from the rubble of Rıza Bey Apartment,” the caption reads. “We are grateful to them.”

Depremin ilk saatinden beri can kurtaran İzmir İtfaiyesi Arama Kurtarma ekipleri az önce Rıza Bey Apartmanı enkazından dört kedi yavrusunu canlı çıkardı. Onlara minnettarız. Sadece canları değil umudumuzu da yaşatmaya devam ediyorlar. pic.twitter.com/XKW3hCWn6Z

— Tunç Soyer (@tuncsoyer) November 3, 2020

The video follows an earthquake in October of that year, killing 116 people, according to PBS. The earthquake triggered a “mini-tsunami” that flooded the locations of Izmir and Samos, BBC reported.

This is not the first time misinformation involving the recent earthquake and pet rescues has spread online. Check Your Fact recently debunked photos claiming to show rescue dogs in Turkey following the quake.