Posted on 04/19/2026 4:31:26 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
More than 15 million people compete for space in Turkey's largest city, which straddles Europe and Asia on either side of the Bosphorus, much like a house cat perched half on the sofa, half on the coffee table.
That's the appropriate visual, because there are an estimated quarter of a million stray kitties living here, too.
Cats are woven into the very fabric and history of the city, as ubiquitous as the rugs for sale on every corner.
This is a city shared; a city that purrs incessantly with love and life.
"Istanbul cats are, on the whole, neither pets nor strays, but a hybrid of those terms," says Marcel Heijnen, photographer and author of City Cats of Istanbul, adding that the cats are not owned by specific people "but taken care of by the community in their respective neighbourhoods".
"The adoration of stray cats dates back to when Istanbul was under Ottoman rule," says Heijnen. "During this period, local foundations made sure that stray animals were taken care of. That love for strays turned into a full-time profession when a job called mancacı ("cat sitter") was created. "Mancacıs were tasked with the job of making sure the city's cats were fed, with the residents also having the option of buying food from mancacıs and feeding the kitties themselves."
Back even further, "Since the Phoenicians, it was very common for sea traders to keep cats on board to guard against rodents..."
"Today, the human residents of Istanbul still happily share their spaces, inside and out, above ground and below, with their city of cats. So much so that the nickname,"Catstanbul" is widely used by feline fanciers around the world – and many tourists make the trek here because of the cats."
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
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When we were in Charleston, SC, in February, there was one side street block in the central district where all the businesses had flyers with a picture of a cat in the window. The flyer gave the cat’s name and explained that she was not a stray: she was the whole block’s cat and was well fed and cared for.
Trump Dance Eat the Cat… https://youtu.be/mc1W_Pys88U
Tastes kinda like spotted owl. No bag limit.
Real funny
That’s a classic.
Always brings a Smile to my face.😊
So leave my Dogs in Izmir?
Even the cats try to sell you rugs.
No huge rat problem, I would guess.
No, it’s Catstantinople.
Even Old New York was once New Catsterdam.
Cats are also revered and protected in Rome (and in my house).
LARGE rats at the harbor. Cats welcome.
What about the ones at City Hall?
I was in Turkey in 1973 and 1974. At that time, Turkey was a bit more secular than today. Many of the men wore low quarter shoes with the heel walked down so their physical heel was exposed. The story we got was that they did that in the belief that Mustafa Kemal was to return as a cat and whoever he bit on the heel would be the next Great Leader of Turkey.
Interesting...
The original Anon worldwide music video of blind Turkish finger drummer Bilal Goregen,in Istanbul, complete with the meme white cat vibing in time to the music, which is a Finnish folk polka song. The Levan Polka:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUYvbT6vTPs
Finnish people singing it in Finnish:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqthspSKZV8&list=RDhqthspSKZV8&start_radio=1
Someone I know, who lives and works in Turkey, told me that the story goes that Mohammed was very kind to cats, and that is why cats are treated so well in Turkey. Too bad he likes cats more than people. Likes cats and little girls. Lots of red flags there.
Everyone knows they are good mousers,and decent “companions”, but they are not publicly cared for so well as in Turkey
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