- liveletroam
Oh the kitties we'll see - Canakkale & Istanbul
Cat lover's view when traveling
How can the scene above not make you smile?
In Canakkale, our first cat sighting was right near our home base. Nothing gives me comfort more than seeing cats being cats. There was a group of cats wandering about in front of our home base. We especially loved the long-haired calico that belonged to one of the residents in our neighborhood pictured above. She looked cared for and was very friendly.
Comforted by the presence of our new fuzzy neighbors we made friends with them quickly. Some were chilling on the locals' motorcycles during the evening hours. We spotted some other ones around the neighborhood and even at the Troy ruins.
My question was what is the Turkish name version of a bodega cat? Bakkal kedi?
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Istanbul is known for its cats and cats are known for their personality. Although we were there for only a few days we spotted some characters including some helpful "Directional" shop cats.
"Directional" cats mean me saying to Eric "Hey, we can cut across this street where we saw the white cat loafing to get to our hotel."
You can see in some of my pics some definitely had their spots. One at a makeup store, another perched on the intersection of a stairway. We even visited a coffee shop named Kedikoy that had a little kitten running around. He was in high demand so had to settle for his cuteness from afar and a tasty snack.
A video of the music busker and his cat. Adorable and yes we used some of that music in our episode transitions.
My biggest heartbreak was when getting our tickets for the overnight train and I discovered a pair of kittens by one of the seating areas. One was so weak he could barely raise its head. My heart sank at the thought of these poor babies passing away. I wanted to show the other side of an uncontrolled cat population. I said a little prayer and some words of love as I teared up.
There are volunteer organizations and people helping some of these animals but this is why it is so important to have humane animal control, spaying, and neutering. Animals shouldn't have to suffer and die in the streets.
Kedi Film: https://www.kedifilm.com/
Volunteer organization: https://slightnorth.com/help-strays-in-istanbul-with-toi/
About the authors:
Christy is an artist/creative spirit & blogger/podcaster with a passion for many things especially the arts, nature, and weird things around the world.