Stray Returns Every Day To Hug Shopkeeper Who Feeds Her

Caring for cats is a communal effort in the Turkish city of 16 million people.

Normally we don’t do the “OMG how adorbz!” type of thing here at PITB, but this short clip should bring a smile to everyone who loves cats.

The shop you see in the video below is in Istanbul, the famously feline-tolerant city of Turkey (or Türkiye), where people collectively feed, house and care for the many stray cats who call it home.

Cats are allowed almost everywhere in Istanbul, including shops, offices, hotels and other businesses. There have been instances in which cats have gone to hospitals when they’re hurt or their kittens are sick, and medical staff actually treat them.

There are cat parks for play, communal cat shelters and tiny cat houses everywhere.

In the US, where some people will shoot any animal that ventures near their property, we would do well to follow the example set by our Turkish friends and do more to care for a species that has been by our side for thousands of years.

A mom cat brought her baby into a Turkish hospital, where staff treated the kitten.
A mom cat waits patiently for staff to treat her sick kitten.
Cats are allowed to roam most places in Istanbul.

15 thoughts on “Stray Returns Every Day To Hug Shopkeeper Who Feeds Her”

  1. You may already know this, but there’s a blog called “Photography of Nia”. She lives in Istanbul and posts street scenes with and without cats, as well as some photos of her own cats.

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    1. They do amazing things for cats. If you click the links in the story, they lead to earlier stories on PITB about Istanbul, including an interview I did with an artist who lives there and adopted a street cat who regularly visited her in her studio.

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      1. There’s a movie about Istanbul cats and the people who take care of them

        It’s called “Kedi” I think. You’d love it.❤️

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  3. There’s a Turkish documentary that came out in 2016 called ‘Keti,’ about cats living on the streets in Istambul. I highly recommend it.

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  4. Wow, I had no idea. I’ve been to Istanbul just once, almost exactly 50 years ago. I don’t remember any cats, but I guess at that age I had other priorities! It begs the question of what it is about the Turkish culture / psyche that has given the city’s residents such a positive attitude to their feline neighbours. Whatever it is, we need to bottle it and make available worldwide. Thank you for the enlightening insights.

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    1. The fact that cats have used hospitals and non-veterinary clinics blows my mind, but it’s happened several times in Turkey and I’ll never forget the story of a stray cat who used to hang out in front of a convenience store and wait for people who were kind to him. Then he’d walk into the store with them, meow to them and put his paw on the exact bag of cat food he wanted.

      I would not have believed it if I didn’t see a video of him doing it. One woman had bought cat food for him a few times and when she asked a clerk at the store if anyone owned the cat, he said no. So she followed the cat to an abandoned building, which is where he was sleeping, and she adopted him.

      I spoke to her and was hoping to arrange an interview, then we lost touch. I have to try again because it’s an extraordinary story.

      But yes, we could definitely do with a more Turkish attitude toward cats and animals.

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  5. Saw this few days ago. So adorable. I saw Keti when it first came out. My client is in Japan. She said they are not treated very nicely. Did not ask. Did not want to know.I think she said it was a cat cafe. I always heard the opposite about Japan. But that is just one place she went to.

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  7. I follow a Turkish podcast called Walter Santi (not his real name, his late dog was named Walter and his oldest inside cat is named Santi). He has both his front yard and his back yard fixed up for the cat group that lives in those respective areas. He also has three indoor cats.

    His videos are delightful! He has a real skill in writing and choosing the music to accompany the videos.

    He certainly is a cat lover. Through him, I learned about how much Turks like cats.

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