A culture of cats | International Reporting - University of Illinois at ...

They?re everywhere. Screeching late at night, napping in every windowsill, scurrying across the street: Istanbul?s wild cats seem intrinsic to the city?s culture.

Seeing ?eight or nine cats strolling along a single street is not uncommon and most are quite social; one of them even greeted President Obama on his visit to Istanbul (Youtube it!) causing Obama to pause and pet the feline as Turkish President Erdogan smiled on.

Many Turkish people don?t actually keep pets in their homes, cats or dogs, but they take excellent care of their street-dwelling pet population. Often, people leave out animal carriers and makeshift beds equipped with pillows and carpets ? cat hostels, if you will -for cats passing through the neighborhood. Food is also provided. Most often, you?ll see bowls of food and water tucked away in street corners, but sometimes people will actually leave their leftovers on a tray outside their door; I came across a dog feasting on some leftover pasta with meatballs.

Wild dogs are also prominent in Istanbul?s street culture though not as well liked as their feline counterparts. More often than not, people will stop to pet cats; not so much with dogs. I read that there are well over 100,000 wild dogs roaming the city, with some estimates being upwards of 150,000.

Most wild dogs, much like the cats, are social and well-adjusted; we actually had a dog follow us down Istikal after we stopped to pet him. He barked at anyone who came to close, as if he were really our pet. After about 45 minutes of proving his loyalty, we named him Scraggles. ?My theory for the surprising friendliness of these feral creatures is that it?s because the Turkish people take such exceptional care of them. No matter the reason, the likability of these mangy pups and cats makes the people in Istanbul feel as if?all??the wild animals are their personal pets; for this cat-loving journalist, it?s just another reason to fall in love with this charming city.

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