When you think of romantic Turkey, is it the first thing that comes to mind is hot air balloons?
But there are not only romantic hot air balloons, but also kittens that stick to you at any time, which makes people really unable to move their feet.
Why is it not recommended for cat lovers to go to Turkey? Because every second you walk out of the door, you can randomly meet the cat, in the place where you live, masturbate, have breakfast, masturbate, just 10 minutes away, because you are constantly attracted by the cutie, you can walk out of 1 hour.
Cat Slave Ecstasy: Isn't this a big cat café kingdom?
Every tourist who comes to Turkey never thinks that the strategy that you have worked so hard to do all night will fail quickly when you set foot on this land, and the cute monsters lurking at every intersection are waiting to trap your pace at any time.
They lie or sit and treat the whole of Istanbul as their own amusement park, unafraid that it is human territory. I felt sleepy and tired, so I fell asleep, taking the sky as a quilt and the earth as a bed, so the whole city became a large cat café and a happy paradise for cat slaves.
When you walk into a convenience store to buy water, the first thing that welcomes you is the cats and dogs lying on the ground at the door, which are so comfortable that you can't help but want to lie down.
Blessed are those who live in Airbnb, the homeowner is likely to leave his cat in the house, and the cats are generally very affectionate, and you can without dodging or biting.
Many shops have cats, and even airports have cats, which will be roaming around on their toes every day.
Take the subway you may meet cat ticket inspectors, lazily lying on the turnstiles, of course, it doesn't matter whether you buy a ticket or not, people passing by, who can resist touching it?
People are also accustomed to these cats, and they will go out and bring cat food to feed them at any time, and they will also let the cats eat their own food. Many shops will prepare a bowl of cat food and water at the door, and the cats passing by can eat hundreds of meals at any time.
The food and water that can be seen everywhere, coupled with people's love for cats, make the stray cats here clean one by one, look round and jade, have a wide heart and a fat body, and do not have the dirty or pitiful appearance of stray cats at all, and are very affectionate, and can rub your legs at any time, or get into your arms to hug.
There are even times when humans have to take on the responsibility of persuading cats.
Turks believe that cats on the streets are pet cats, there are no stray cats and stray dogs, they are all residents of the city and have the right to live in the city.
In the documentary "City of Cat Lovers", many stories of Istanbulites and cats are recorded. People not only love and care for cats, but also have a kind of respect.
In the film, someone said: "Cats can perceive the existence of God, and dogs think that humans are God, but cats know that humans act as intermediaries and act according to God's will, which is not to say that cats will be ungrateful, they just know more." ”
Here, even the "bully cats" who often steal fish to eat, the fishermen will not drive them away, and even if they are bitten, they blame themselves and comfort themselves: she has been dissolute and loves freedom all her life, which is why I like her.
Some people regularly feed cats out of gratitude, because they used to be in a bad mental state, but they were cured in the process of feeding cats, and after decades of feeding, he knew the relationship between the cat family, and the cat genealogy of the upper and lower five generations could be drawn.
Once in a while, if you don't bring enough food, you will blame yourself very much, and even eat badly.
Someone who had met a cat that had been meowing at him when he was destitute found it a purse containing 120 lira that he needed, which he believed to be the apparition of Allah and began to feed the stray cats.
It can only be said that cat slaves all over the world are probably the same.
According to some estimates, there are as many as 125,000 stray cats in Istanbul alone, and with the addition of domestic cats, more than 200,000 cats share the city with humans. However, the people here did not think of driving away stray cats, but gave them the utmost care.
Some shops will let cats into the house to warm up in windy and snowy weather, even if there are too many cats and there are not enough seats in the house, the business would rather close its doors than drive the cats out.
This is inextricably linked to local religious beliefs.
Most Turks believe in Islam, where cats are considered clean animals, and the Prophet Muhammad has many stories about his love for cats.
One of the most famous is Muhammad's prayer by cutting off his sleeve so as not to disturb a cat curled up in his sleeve and napping.
There is also a saying here, "If you kill a cat, then you need to build a mosque to ask God for forgiveness." ”
In the 14th century, cats were already a common domestic animal here, because the buildings at that time were mainly wooden structures, which were easy to attract rat infestations, so people generally raised cats to catch mice, and over time, cats became more and more common.
In the Middle Ages, the plague spread throughout the European continent, and Turkey was not spared, and cats played an outstanding role in stopping the spread of the plague, so people have always been friendly to cats, and many local people also feed stray cats through charitable organizations.
There are also many special vending machines on the streets of Istanbul, where people can put empty plastic bottles that can be recycled, and cat and dog food can be dropped underneath, so that passing furry children can have a full meal. The cost of recycling these empty bottles will also be used to buy cat food and dog food, forming a closed loop.
Stray cats and dogs live quite comfortably here, and they are also inseparable from local policies and laws.
Back in 2004, the Turkish government passed a law requiring stray dogs to be treated rather than eradicated, and Animal Protection Law No. 5199 stipulates a policy of no killing, no arrest.
Later, laws and regulations were promulgated to impose a fine of 2,000 lira for abandonment, to six months to four years in prison for animal cruelty, and to forcibly sterilize stray cats and dogs.
Dogs and cats in the streets of Turkey often have stud-like markings on their ears to indicate that they have been spayed and immunized, as well as locators for tracking and regular vaccinations.
Volunteers will cruise around the city on animal hospital buses, regularly giving street dogs check-ups, neutering, and deworming. There are also display cases of dogs and cats on these buses for adoption.
In Istanbul, there are 6 medical centers for stray animals, including vaccination, sterilization, microchipping, and deworming. Data shows that in 2018 alone, a total of 73,608 animals were cared for at animal health centers.
One of them is known as the second largest stray animal care center in the world, with a capacity of 1,204 stray animals, and staff are also on duty 24 hours a day, so that people can escort stray cats and dogs with diseases to the hospital.
There are also feeding trucks that go to fixed feeding points every day to drop dry food, and in Istanbul alone, they feed close to a ton of feed a day, and in winter it becomes two meals a day. Some stray dogs have learned to wait for the feeding truck at regular intervals, and when the point comes, they begin to gather and queue up, and run after hearing the sound of the car.
The government has also set up large and small cat houses and dog houses on the streets, so that stray cats and dogs can have a shelter from the wind and rain.
The important point is that the cost of food and medical care for these feeds is all borne by the government. Even if you accidentally get scratched by a cat, you don't have to worry, you can go directly to the public hospital and enjoy a free rabies vaccination, and residents and tourists will not have any worries.
This is true not only in Istanbul, but in the whole of Turkey, where the government bears most of the cost of caring for stray animals. In 2019, Turkey's agriculture and forestry minister revealed that between 2009 and 2018, the ministry spent more than 31 million Turkish lira (US$6 million) to support local governments in caring for stray animals.
Some people say that people can't fall in love with cats and dogs at the same time, but in Turkey, the locals' love for stray cats and dogs is often at the same time, as an uncle who sells fish in "The City of Cats" said, "Love for animals is another kind of love, and people who don't love animals can't love people, I'm sure of that." ”
I have to say that the cat lovers in Istanbul are philosophical when they speak - "A cat meows on your feet and looks up at you, in fact, this is the smile of life on you, those lucky moments of our fortune, are all reminding us that we are still alive." ”
For a long time, the people here have nourished cats and dogs with love, and they are also healing human beings little by little, and the city is full of vitality and vitality because of the furry children that can be seen everywhere.
So, you who love cats, are you excited?