Before I went to Turkey, had someone asked me whether I am a dog or a cat person, I would have taken no time to say Dog. After seeing the cats of Istanbul , its not the same any more.

Istanbul is famous for its ancient history, beautiful architecture and fantastic food, but people who have been there would would agree that one of the most memorable aspects of visiting this  beautiful city are the encounters with the local street cats. You will see these cats sleeping  on public benches, snoozing atop cars, pouncing on each other in parks and sometimes just wandering into  Hagia Sophia to admire its beauty . You will see the cats all over Turkey but particularly in Istanbul, cats seemed to rule the city.There are many stories about why there are so many cats in Istanbul but one of the Islamic story talks about a cat killing a poisonous snake that had approached the Prophet Muhammad. This led to the popular saying: ”If you’ve killed a cat, you need to build a mosque to be forgiven by God.” And to this day, people feed these furballs and not harm them.

Unlike the Indian cats who are so scared of human beings, cats in Istanbul are super friendly . I remember how we would pet just about any cat that came in our way while we were wandering the cobblestone streets of Istanbul. Seconds later,  the cat (sometimes two) would push their way onto our lap, purring furiously. I had my camera on me most of the times, so I took a lot of pictures of these adorable felines . Have a look at the cats of Istanbul 🙂

 

              

Now all I need is a cat, will someone gift me one 🙂

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