Istanbul is known worldwide as the 'city of cats'. And it’s true; there are hundreds of thousands of stray cats in Istanbul, and many of them live better, are better fed, and even receive healthcare at times compared to their counterparts in other cities around the world. There are over 250,000 cats roaming free in Istanbul. Sometimes the city is referred to as Catstanbul! The city even has museum for cats.
The city earned this title because of the residents extended love & hospitality to the roaming street cats. The city's streets are lined with food and water bowls and small cat houses placed by residents in a communal effort to look after street cats. Many places claim to be pet-friendly, but Istanbul is exceptional. The city values its cats and dogs through the abundance of pet-friendly restaurants and hotels.
In Istanbul cats were able to freely wander into shops to nap in the window displays or occupy the seats in a café. Many of the locals will also place temporary shelters outside in the form of cat houses, carriers, or boxes and it’s not unusual to see cat treats strewn along the sidewalks where cat traffic is particularly high. Generally, every street in Istanbul has cats that are familiar to locals.
On rainy days, local people share dry spots with cats or offering up an umbrella as they waited for the bus. There are road signs warning drivers to be cautious of wandering cats. The Municipality of Istanbul has placed vending machines for cats and dogs in many parts of the city, and there are many cats use to roam around these vending machines. Citizens passing by put coins into these machines, ensuring that cats and dogs are fed.
Cats can be seen anywhere in Istanbul, whether in university classrooms, on the ferry, bus, subway, shopping center, or even in the stadium. Turkish citizens view street animals as communally owned pets rather than traditional strays, and the country has a blanket no-kill, no-capture policy.
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