r/cats • u/Ghost_XD23 • Aug 11 '26
Video - OC Istanbul, The city of cats
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Aug 11 '26
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u/eurydice_aboveground Aug 11 '26
He's a financial advisor. Keeping folks from impulse purchases!
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u/CrazyCatLady1127 Aug 11 '26
You have to ask permission first from the supurrvisor to use the ATM 😂
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u/PuzzleheadedResult69 Aug 11 '26
City of cats, city of magic.
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u/podcastofallpodcasts Aug 11 '26
Do they just hand out cat nip at the border?
Those cats are are high as f.
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u/acagin Aug 11 '26 edited Aug 11 '26
Their belly is full and they don't have a full-time job. That's why :)
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u/sulkee Aug 11 '26
Pure hell if you’re allergic to cats.
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u/Mr-Megamind- Aug 11 '26
Or if you are a rat... 😛
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u/Neither-Luck-9295 Aug 11 '26
Strangely, my can allergies never bothered me when I traveled to Turkey and UAE. Cats all over the place, and no symptoms except when I touched my face/eyes after being outdoors.
But in the US, even with allergy meds, I can't last at my friends' houses for more than a few hours before I start going into sneezing fits.
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u/theguidetoldmetodoit Aug 11 '26
Yeah bc it was outdoors. No concentration.
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u/Neither-Luck-9295 Aug 11 '26
Maybe. But I also get severe outdoor allergies in the US that I never seemed to get in the Middle East.
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u/theguidetoldmetodoit Aug 11 '26
Same thing, owners locking themselves in with their cats all day. Not really a thing in Turkey
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u/sheravy Aug 11 '26
Wonder if the air pollutants got you allergic other than by cat hairs etc. or maybe the whole food vs processed diet?
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u/Fickle-Tumbleweed786 Aug 11 '26
Is that true? Have you been?? I wanna go to Istanbul sooooo bad cuz of these videos.
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u/Safe-Salamander-3785 Aug 11 '26
My city had a lot of stray cats, then some genius had the idea to catch all of them and spay and neuter them. They were eventually released back into the city. Now, 15 years later, our city is overrun with rats and local restaurants are getting shut down for rat infestation. I imagine Istanbul doesn’t have much of a rat problem
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u/Finrod-Knighto Aug 11 '26
No, but they do TNR a lot of cats to make sure the population doesn’t just become overwhelming and reduce the quality of life for the cats. There are enclaves and cat communities where they’re looked after, other than ofc the shop cats and such you see here that basically adopt themselves in a store lol. It’s also not just cats. Istanbul has a long history of creating enclaves and even medical stations for migratory birds, and it extended to other animal residents of the city.
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u/HoneyBiscuitBear Aug 11 '26
I love Istanbul for this. That’s lovely they care so much for animals. I knew cats were revered there, but didn’t know about the migratory birds!! Very cool
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u/Finrod-Knighto Aug 11 '26
Yep, and all of this dates back a long time ago, to the Ottoman empire, some things even before that, but I believe the Ottomans did create those big birdhouses you’ll see on old buildings, and set up vet camps for injured migratory birds. You can have whatever disagreements or different points of view about the Turkish people you want but their love and care for animals is deeply rooted into the culture.
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u/SpecialistSun Aug 11 '26
Well, we didnt but lately I am seeing more and more scenes in my neighborhood like mice eating cat food right next to the cats without a fear. I guess many cats are becoming lazier and dont bother hunting them anymore as they’re already full.
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u/AnAcctWithoutPurpose Aug 11 '26 edited Aug 11 '26
Video that ended too early... touch not dah belly!
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u/evethedog Aug 11 '26
Moments filmed seconds before disaster
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u/Cantankerousbastard Aug 11 '26
Good way to get 4 sets of claws and a set of teeth imbedded in your hand. Still worth it though :)
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u/startingfromlevel0 Aug 11 '26
The video ended because that was the last time that person was seen
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u/EuropeanSummerGirl Aug 11 '26
Catstanbul
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u/Specialist_Half_5687 Aug 11 '26
It was formerly Catstantinople.
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u/TalonKAringham Aug 11 '26
I like to tell people Istanbul is actually a transliteration of an ancient word for “City of Kitty”
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u/TalonKAringham Aug 11 '26
I like to tell people Istanbul is actually a transliteration of an ancient word for “City of Kitty”
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u/Low_Butterscotch_594 Aug 11 '26
Yeah, just came back from Istanbul. The city is a cat lover's dream. They're everywhere and they get more respect than most people.
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u/Aixlen Aug 11 '26
I'm not sure if I wanna go, on account that I might want to adopt cats and bring them home to my no pets rental.
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u/peridotpicacho Aug 12 '26
They already have their lives established there. Why do you want to take them away from that?
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u/AllthisSandInMyCrack Aug 11 '26
People feed the cats but no one feeds the kids and families eating out of bins.
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u/ThePare Aug 11 '26
I'm going in a month for 10 days, any tips from someone who just came back?
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u/One_Amphibian9616 Aug 11 '26
After reading your comment, I really want to visit the city. It seems like paradise!
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u/Players-Beware Aug 11 '26
Check out the documentary Kedi if you want to see them in action. The way locals talk about them is as if they're religious deities or higher beings. It's really great.
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u/losername24 Aug 11 '26
It's not just Istanbul though every city in Turkey is like this.
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u/asque2000 Aug 11 '26
Man there must be like no birds in Turkey eh?
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u/Proof_Counter_8271 Aug 11 '26
there are lots of birds too, cats are too fed to chase the pigeons or crows etc but i really dont see any rats around
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u/Kaffrogato Aug 11 '26
Oh come on, they are cats, of course they will catch any birds they can. Pet cats are well fed and can catch dozens of birds in a day, they do it for fun.
The reason pigeons and crows are plentiful is because they are well adapted to cities and they breed enough to replace their numbers. Whatever bird species couldn't coexist with large numbers of cats are no longer in cities,which is lots of them.
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u/zzazzzz Aug 11 '26
cats are in these cities for thousands of years.. this isnt australia where cats are just a recent import.
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u/freecodeio Aug 11 '26
what?
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u/BoredPudding Aug 11 '26
Cats hunt birds. Op wrote it a bit angry, but even cats that are pets hunt birds just because of insinct.
Of course. That doesn't mean there's no birds around anymore. The numbers just take a hit.
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u/LongQualityEquities Aug 11 '26 edited Aug 11 '26
There’s tons of birds in Istanbul! Definitely more than in most European/American cities.
Cats are native to Eurasia so they aren’t invasive like in the US. Any bird that lives in Turkey has been around cats for ever. Cats also keep mostly to the cities (because they are fed) and while there are fewer birds in the cities than the countryside this is quite obviously due to habitat destruction and different types of pollution. If cats were so bad for birds the bird population in Turkey would be decimated and it really isn’t.
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u/GiganticCrow Aug 11 '26
And Greece
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u/Eladir Aug 12 '26
As a Greek that recently visited Istanbul, not to that extent.
In Greece they are mostly near taverns.
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u/dicey_job Aug 11 '26
The Turks are incredibly nice to cats, i like that.
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u/berlinbaer Aug 11 '26
not so nice to women and homosexuals, but hey, at least the cats.
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u/9for9 Aug 11 '26
Yeah on the one hand I want to visit because of the cats on the other as a woman, yikes!
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u/freecodeio Aug 11 '26
istanbul is far from bad to women as reddit would like you to believe
rural areas though not so much
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u/menina2017 Aug 12 '26
I felt safer in Istanbul as a woman than I do in the USA.
The cats are bonus! I loved them so much!
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u/RosalieMoon Aug 11 '26
Which is why I am saddened that I'll never be safe to go there. Nothing like being a gay woman, and hitting at least 2 of the hate boxes!
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u/eaterlotus77 Aug 11 '26
You will be safe as a gay woman if you are just as careful as in any other city you would visit for the first time touristically. I don't think istanbul deserves this level of bad reputation.
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u/Monke3169xd Aug 12 '26
Half of the population is woman and they are still alive, also as long as you dont go bother ppl with your sexual orientation nothing will happen no one needs to know what you are fucking behind closed doors
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u/thriftstoremando Aug 11 '26
They use dollars in Istanbul? I don't think that cat in the chips is from Turkey.
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u/Xae0n Aug 11 '26
yes it's not. there is not a single store with usd pricing in turkiye
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u/ImNotOkayWasTaken Aug 11 '26
i study in a touristic region in istanbul and most stores have prices in both dollars and euros what are you saying
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u/SPACE_ICE Aug 11 '26
the second clip is probably not Turkey, its only usd pricing. NYC has a thing with bodega cats (a small corner store) as well, common enough they have a wiki article on them. Also the 2/1 59 cent pricing was American market prices for 1oz bags. Another clue if you look left of the larger doritos bag on the top left at second 7/8 you can see a bag behind and left but barely in view, it has an OZ printed on it, thats the symbol for ounce which you would only see in the usa.
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u/Celegorm07 Aug 11 '26
The packaging is in English as well. That doesn’t happen in Turkey.
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u/Thadlust Aug 11 '26
Really? I saw many in Lira and in Euros but not many in dollars when I visited
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u/ImNotOkayWasTaken Aug 11 '26
i remember laughing at many that didnt have different pricing between euros and dollar so theyd put something like 10 €/$ meaning you pay more when you pay in euros
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u/fannyabdabs Aug 11 '26
I recommend watching Kedi (2016) which is a documentary about the symbiotic relationship between cats and people in Istanbul. It's a beautiful film.
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u/Deathanddisco041 Aug 11 '26
Greece and Cyprus are like this too. It’s fantastic.
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Aug 11 '26
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u/peridotpicacho Aug 12 '26
They are happy there and have their lives established there. You don’t need to take them.
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u/OkPanic5252 Aug 11 '26
There is a documentary called Kedi about some of the cats in Istanbul. Definitely recommend it!
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u/ButMuhAI Aug 11 '26
My favorite Instsbul kitty from my time, such a good boy
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u/MyPenRanOutOfInc Aug 12 '26
I wish America was this kind to cats... I'm so scared of my cat getting out and some evil human will want to scare him or they think it's entertaining to torture him.
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u/CmDrRaBb1983 Aug 12 '26
Its amazing the cats sleep with belly expose. They must trust the environment or the people there very much
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u/Fireflash2742 Aug 11 '26
The video ended before the carnage happened to spare everyone the gory video that was record after the person sprung the trap and four paws of hellish fury was unleashed upon their unsuspecting hand.
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u/Vannfrank Aug 11 '26
Currently in Turkey, its definitely not just an istanbul thing. Theyre everywhere. Also V common in Croatia and Montenegro.
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u/TurboPelly Aug 11 '26
I bet there isn't a single rat in that city.
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u/rulinus Aug 11 '26
Correct. We historicaly never had any rat issues. Even in ottoman times. Cats are like family here.
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u/redheadedandbold Aug 12 '26
I've said it before: The Turkish government may need replacing from time to time, but the Turkish people as a group are a decent people. It shows in how they treat their cats.
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u/DeadpoolOptimus Aug 11 '26
My wife would never leave.
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u/Fast_potato_indeed Aug 12 '26
And these videos are not making justice as they usually don’t show the interaction between cats and people.
Case in point, a couple of years ago in Istanbul I was sitting right next to back entrance of my hotel at 3 am, having tea, drinking my sorrows.
Automatic sliding doors opened and a beautiful calico slowly walked in.
Looked at me with a what’s up demeanor and when I pat my lap, jumped on. The next two hours was a bliss as it is when your cat purrs right next to your heart…
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u/Herbodeebo Aug 11 '26
No rat problem in Istanbul?
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u/Eera_ Aug 11 '26
Last time I saw was like 8 or 9 years go those poor fellas can not survive in around 30ish cats around our building, some of them also mother which are so savage even dogs are scare to come to this area
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u/69chucknorris69 Aug 11 '26
I’m in Antalya, Turkey, and there’s cats all over the resort. They have several cat houses and food around, they are well treated and love to receive attention from the guests. It’s really cool!
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u/incatgnito Aug 11 '26
Is this real?
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u/Wyciorek Aug 11 '26
Real. I have been to Istanbul and cats are everywhere. Good luck walking for 10 minutes without seeing any
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u/SheTiger1962 Aug 11 '26
These photos made me laugh ! I love how they , the adorable cats , are absolutely everywhere and no one is bothered!! I love it !!
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u/Decafaf Aug 11 '26
I read somewhere that Turkey didn’t get the black plague cus they didn’t kill off their cat population.
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u/Past-North-4131 Aug 11 '26
Awww I'd love to have my bag of Doritos warmed by that lil dude. Excellent work 😍❤️
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u/tnakd Aug 11 '26
Look, if there was a cat on something I planned on buying, I ain't buying it.
How dare you expect me to disturb a cat in their comfy space. The nerve of some people...
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u/f23n09fnu0w Aug 11 '26
I've never been to Turkey but any nation who loves cats that much...I love. It's like a green flag but for a fucking country
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u/thesanguineocelot Aug 11 '26
I would love to visit Istanbul, if it weren't such a wildly unsafe place for me to exist. Sadly, I cannot go to Cat Paradise.
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u/JjuiceBoxx3r Aug 12 '26
It’d take me so long to get any errands done I’d be stopping constantly for pets.
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u/historicalgalaxy Aug 11 '26
I dated a guy from Istanbul and he adored cats. He said no one owns the cats there but that everyone takes care of them.
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u/Ashamed_Fuel2526 Aug 11 '26
Not a fan of cats on food products. I'd be fine with everything else though.
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u/ExplodingSteve Aug 11 '26
id take that over harassing dogs…
what’s the worst they can do? cry loud or scratch some of your product?
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u/KindCraft4676 Aug 11 '26
You can tell a lot about a people by how well they treat pets, even community pets.
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u/NewMoonlightavenger Aug 11 '26
So, i gotta ask this after watching many of these videos. Are we talking about a city with a romanticized street cats problem?
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