Ben cheezburger etti miyim?
August 19, 2015 10:17 AM Subscribe
Why Istanbul Should Be Called Catstantinople: The city has long been famous for its large population of street cats, as reflected in a popular Instagram feed and upcoming documentary. “Being a cat in Istanbul is like being a cow in India,” said Sibel Resimci, a musician and confessed cat junkie who says her husband often walks nearly 2 miles to work rather than disturb street cats sleeping on his moped. “For generations, they’ve had a special place in the city’s soul.”
Note: If you're having trouble reading the WSJ link, search for the article's title in Google.
Note: If you're having trouble reading the WSJ link, search for the article's title in Google.
There's a tumblr dedicated the the cat that lives in the Hagia Sophia
posted by The Whelk at 10:35 AM on August 19, 2015 [13 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 10:35 AM on August 19, 2015 [13 favorites]
Oh man, I came back from my trip to Turkey with a huge number of kitteh pictures. I was especially intrigued by all of the ginger strays I saw!
posted by TwoStride at 10:38 AM on August 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by TwoStride at 10:38 AM on August 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
I don't know whether it's relevant but over the years I've noticed the marked fondness of cats for Roman buildings, not least in Rome itself, of course, but really everywhere there are significant urban ruins. It's as if the hearth gods (Lares?) became cats when left to themselves.
posted by Segundus at 10:40 AM on August 19, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by Segundus at 10:40 AM on August 19, 2015 [5 favorites]
Two of the more mundane things that caught our attention when we were in Istanbul were the number of cats, and these big puffy bread loaves that were proudly on display outside many restaurants. I don't know that we ever learned what this bread is actually called, but to us it'll always be cat-bread, because it looked like just the right size for all those strays to curl up in and keep warm at night.
posted by DingoMutt at 10:41 AM on August 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by DingoMutt at 10:41 AM on August 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
One of my photos from a trip last year to Turkey invovled a cat sprawled out in the ruins of Ephesus and a quote from my traveling companion of: "you know the cats of Ephesus must be all like, 'check me out, I got 93 likes on Instagram today. What have you losers been up to?'"
We also found that cats and shopkeepers have a symbiotic relationship in that the cutest cats are just lures for travelers to come over and pet them while the shopkeepers circled around to say, "he is a stray, but I call him 'Mufasa' because he is like a lion, and I feed him sucuk sausage. Would you like to come inside and help feed the cat? (while I also tell you about all of my fine carpets?)"
posted by bl1nk at 10:45 AM on August 19, 2015 [6 favorites]
We also found that cats and shopkeepers have a symbiotic relationship in that the cutest cats are just lures for travelers to come over and pet them while the shopkeepers circled around to say, "he is a stray, but I call him 'Mufasa' because he is like a lion, and I feed him sucuk sausage. Would you like to come inside and help feed the cat? (while I also tell you about all of my fine carpets?)"
posted by bl1nk at 10:45 AM on August 19, 2015 [6 favorites]
This is kind of presumptuous. What Istanbul is called is nobody's business but the Turks'.
posted by Naberius at 10:56 AM on August 19, 2015 [12 favorites]
posted by Naberius at 10:56 AM on August 19, 2015 [12 favorites]
At least that's knocked "They're taking the hobbits to Isengard" out of my head. Thanks!
posted by diane47 at 11:04 AM on August 19, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by diane47 at 11:04 AM on August 19, 2015 [2 favorites]
Mrs Molerats and I were in Istanbul for our honeymoon, and after seeing so many stray cats and dogs throughout Turkey and generally, how kindly people treat them, we were a bit shocked one day to see a woman feeding pigeons. A cat kept skulking around, eyeing the pigeons, making the pigeons too nervous to approach. And so - whumpf - the woman, without ceremony, booted the cat right in the ass. Not enough to hurt it, just to send its wounded cat pride scuttling away, eyeballs sucked in in disapproval.
It is the funniest image from our honeymoon. It really was just a nudge, a shooing off, she didn't kick it or anything. But after seeing how indulged most of the street cats were, we still bust up thinking about that undignified cat.
posted by nakedmolerats at 11:04 AM on August 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
It is the funniest image from our honeymoon. It really was just a nudge, a shooing off, she didn't kick it or anything. But after seeing how indulged most of the street cats were, we still bust up thinking about that undignified cat.
posted by nakedmolerats at 11:04 AM on August 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
i have been vacationing in the wrong place all this time
posted by Kitteh at 11:35 AM on August 19, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by Kitteh at 11:35 AM on August 19, 2015 [6 favorites]
They do mention the fact that cats are a bit special in Islam. What I wonder is how much this contributes?
In passing conversations with Istanbullular when I was there a few years ago, Muhammed's fondness for cats was specifically cited by several as why Muslims such as they are so fond of cats. There really are a lot of them, patiently tolerated by the locals, and gawped at by tourists; I'd only note that some of the street cats were a bit straggly, suffering from respiratory illness, and not-very-happy seeming to me, which I suppose is predictable in a population that doesn't really have any predators. (Stray dogs, on the other hand, seemed barely tolerated and frequently shunned.)
posted by aught at 11:39 AM on August 19, 2015
In passing conversations with Istanbullular when I was there a few years ago, Muhammed's fondness for cats was specifically cited by several as why Muslims such as they are so fond of cats. There really are a lot of them, patiently tolerated by the locals, and gawped at by tourists; I'd only note that some of the street cats were a bit straggly, suffering from respiratory illness, and not-very-happy seeming to me, which I suppose is predictable in a population that doesn't really have any predators. (Stray dogs, on the other hand, seemed barely tolerated and frequently shunned.)
posted by aught at 11:39 AM on August 19, 2015
I liked the Hagia Sophia cat a lot. I did find the cats in Ephesus were friendlier than those in Istanbul.
posted by jeather at 11:39 AM on August 19, 2015
posted by jeather at 11:39 AM on August 19, 2015
When we went to Buenos Aires, we were very excited to check out La Recoleta cemetery and the population of feral cats that live there. My wife, the veterinary technician, was so eager that she stopped at a mercado and bought a decent sized box of kibble to discreetly spread around for the kitties. Thing is, as soon as the cats realized what she had, they swarmed. About 30 or 40 cats rushed up to her, yowling for their share. She screamed, dumped the box, and ran. Feral cats are way smarter than you think, and I'm sure these Turkish kitties have that city wrapped around their little paws.
I like that the WSJ did a stipple portrait of one little guy.
posted by Rock Steady at 11:58 AM on August 19, 2015 [4 favorites]
I like that the WSJ did a stipple portrait of one little guy.
posted by Rock Steady at 11:58 AM on August 19, 2015 [4 favorites]
That's exactly what will happen when the Turks realize that the cats are Byzantine warriors who have been waiting for their opportunity to strike since 1453. All hail Emperor Catstinian and Empress Theocatra!
posted by vorpal bunny at 12:21 PM on August 19, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by vorpal bunny at 12:21 PM on August 19, 2015 [3 favorites]
That's exactly what will happen when the Turks realize that the cats are Byzantine warriors who have been waiting for their opportunity to strike since 1453. All hail Emperor Catstinian and Empress Theocatra!
This actually explains pretty well that legend that the priests saying mass melted into the walls and disappeared when the Turks came in.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 12:34 PM on August 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
This actually explains pretty well that legend that the priests saying mass melted into the walls and disappeared when the Turks came in.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 12:34 PM on August 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
So I'm guessing it's not called Songbirdstanople.
posted by maxsparber at 12:59 PM on August 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by maxsparber at 12:59 PM on August 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
Not Turkey, but not far away - we were visiting the island of Rhodes on a family vacation late in the tourism season, and our next stop was in Turkey - Ephesus.
My brother and I had rented a motor scooter and we were zipping around the island seeing a bunch more of it than we would have on foot. Rhodes is comprised of an "old city" still surrounded by ancient walls and a moat, which is surrounded by the "new city" that built up around the old over time. It's all kind of on a slope leading up to where it's own version of the Acropolis or what have you once stood.
We were coming back down the hills in the narrow brick roadways of the old city, probably driving a little faster than we should have been to get back to the ship before it left, when I noticed a motorcycle cop appear from out of one of the alleys we had just zipped by. In the next instant after confirming him in my mirror, I looked back up and saw, on one of the archways above and ahead of us, 2 cats in the middle of, well - a cat fight.
The next few seconds were kind of a blur, but as I watched, one of the cats lost it's footing on the ledge and began to plummet straight in front of us. My brother, seeing it coming, leaned back on the bike, as I leaned to the side a bit, and somehow the cat landed in its furious, furry plummet, right in my brother's lap, and on my lower back. Queue all 3 of us freaking out while I tried to keep the bike upright and not crash it, until the cat was able to make a leap off the bike and disappear.
Which was the same instant the cop pulls up next to me, at speed, looks me dead in the eyes, and says with a smile, "Watch out for the cats."
He then motored off and I never saw him again. When my brother and I came to a stop he asked me if that really just happened.
posted by allkindsoftime at 1:17 PM on August 19, 2015 [13 favorites]
My brother and I had rented a motor scooter and we were zipping around the island seeing a bunch more of it than we would have on foot. Rhodes is comprised of an "old city" still surrounded by ancient walls and a moat, which is surrounded by the "new city" that built up around the old over time. It's all kind of on a slope leading up to where it's own version of the Acropolis or what have you once stood.
We were coming back down the hills in the narrow brick roadways of the old city, probably driving a little faster than we should have been to get back to the ship before it left, when I noticed a motorcycle cop appear from out of one of the alleys we had just zipped by. In the next instant after confirming him in my mirror, I looked back up and saw, on one of the archways above and ahead of us, 2 cats in the middle of, well - a cat fight.
The next few seconds were kind of a blur, but as I watched, one of the cats lost it's footing on the ledge and began to plummet straight in front of us. My brother, seeing it coming, leaned back on the bike, as I leaned to the side a bit, and somehow the cat landed in its furious, furry plummet, right in my brother's lap, and on my lower back. Queue all 3 of us freaking out while I tried to keep the bike upright and not crash it, until the cat was able to make a leap off the bike and disappear.
Which was the same instant the cop pulls up next to me, at speed, looks me dead in the eyes, and says with a smile, "Watch out for the cats."
He then motored off and I never saw him again. When my brother and I came to a stop he asked me if that really just happened.
posted by allkindsoftime at 1:17 PM on August 19, 2015 [13 favorites]
VERY much borne out by my own experience in Istanbul, and equally in Marrakesh, where we clocked, amongst other things:
- a very nonchalant cat wandering through a market with an entire fish in his mouth
- large gangs of cats having top-volume territorial fights in all of the major tourist sites
- am old man in the main square with a large bag, surrounded by cats, clearly about to fees them. Turns out the bag was full of intestines! That was pretty gross!
posted by ominous_paws at 2:29 PM on August 19, 2015
- a very nonchalant cat wandering through a market with an entire fish in his mouth
- large gangs of cats having top-volume territorial fights in all of the major tourist sites
- am old man in the main square with a large bag, surrounded by cats, clearly about to fees them. Turns out the bag was full of intestines! That was pretty gross!
posted by ominous_paws at 2:29 PM on August 19, 2015
Rates of Toxoplasma infection are apparently high in Turkey, and have been cited as a significant factor in Turkey's high rates of traffic mortality.
posted by jamjam at 3:04 PM on August 19, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by jamjam at 3:04 PM on August 19, 2015 [2 favorites]
I wonder how Istanbul compares to Reykjavík (another famously cat-rich city, to the point where they sell postcards commemorating this fact).
posted by acb at 3:07 PM on August 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by acb at 3:07 PM on August 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
I don't remember seeing a single rat in Istanbul - it did have me wondering for a hot minute whether a large feral cat population would ever be tolerated here in New York if it kept the rodents under control. They sure do love their cats there though - in Kadikoy, I saw that local volunteers put shelters and scratching posts in the playgrounds (along with putting food out) to keep the felines hanging around.
posted by Calloused_Foot at 3:28 PM on August 19, 2015
posted by Calloused_Foot at 3:28 PM on August 19, 2015
Turks separate into two camps on their views on cats and dogs. Some see them as benign, lovable animals, as described in the WSJ article. But to most others they are pests, just about tolerated outside, on the streets, but definitely never welcome at home.
posted by hoca efendi at 11:52 PM on August 19, 2015
posted by hoca efendi at 11:52 PM on August 19, 2015
Arrrggghhh why did I read the comments to that lovely article? The usual racist twaddle.
Anyway, thanks for the great post. Makes me want to go back to Istanbul. So many gorgeous and absolutely fearless cats wandering around there, the ones we met didn't seem to see human beings as threats at all, but just as potential food sources. In contrast to a previous poster, I actually remember being struck by how fat and healthy a lot of them looked, to the extent that I couldn't figure out whether they were strays or not. Here's one particularly elegant gentleman we met during our travels.
posted by Ziggy500 at 5:15 AM on August 20, 2015
Anyway, thanks for the great post. Makes me want to go back to Istanbul. So many gorgeous and absolutely fearless cats wandering around there, the ones we met didn't seem to see human beings as threats at all, but just as potential food sources. In contrast to a previous poster, I actually remember being struck by how fat and healthy a lot of them looked, to the extent that I couldn't figure out whether they were strays or not. Here's one particularly elegant gentleman we met during our travels.
posted by Ziggy500 at 5:15 AM on August 20, 2015
On cats being well-regarded in Islam:
I lived in Jakarta for a couple of years (let's not spoil this by asking how long ago), which is
a) a strongly Muslim society, and
b) home to a large number of cats, stray and otherwise.
However, all of the cats have bent / broken tails.
One day, I asked someone why this was the case.
I was told that one of the anecdotes from the life of Muhammed involved his going into his tent to set up a prayer rug and pray. However, a cat was sleeping on the rug. Rather than disturb the cat, he cut the rug around the cat and moved it outside.
From this story, the following cultural logic emerged:
1) cats are favoured by the prophet
2) therefore cats are close to perfect
3) therefore cats are destined for Paradise in the afterlife
4) this means that there might not be enough room for people
5) therefore we have to make cats' physical forms imperfect so that they don't over-run the hereafter
One of the cats we had while we lived there had a perfect tail ... and also pneumonia.
One of our staff members offered to dock her tail, believing this would help.
And here we conclude today's episode of "Hidden Sadness."
posted by The Outsider at 6:01 AM on August 20, 2015 [3 favorites]
I lived in Jakarta for a couple of years (let's not spoil this by asking how long ago), which is
a) a strongly Muslim society, and
b) home to a large number of cats, stray and otherwise.
However, all of the cats have bent / broken tails.
One day, I asked someone why this was the case.
I was told that one of the anecdotes from the life of Muhammed involved his going into his tent to set up a prayer rug and pray. However, a cat was sleeping on the rug. Rather than disturb the cat, he cut the rug around the cat and moved it outside.
From this story, the following cultural logic emerged:
1) cats are favoured by the prophet
2) therefore cats are close to perfect
3) therefore cats are destined for Paradise in the afterlife
4) this means that there might not be enough room for people
5) therefore we have to make cats' physical forms imperfect so that they don't over-run the hereafter
One of the cats we had while we lived there had a perfect tail ... and also pneumonia.
One of our staff members offered to dock her tail, believing this would help.
And here we conclude today's episode of "Hidden Sadness."
posted by The Outsider at 6:01 AM on August 20, 2015 [3 favorites]
When I am reincarnated I would very much like to be the cat that lives in the Hagia Sophia.
posted by foobaz at 1:12 PM on August 20, 2015
posted by foobaz at 1:12 PM on August 20, 2015
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What about the Constantinople/Byzantium, how were cats received back then?
Grumpy Cat says "Constanti NOPE"
posted by symbioid at 10:35 AM on August 19, 2015