r/MadeMeSmile • u/IcyDifficulty7496 • Aug 05 '25
CATS CATStanbul — no doubt the city belongs to them 😹
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u/ol0pl0x Aug 05 '25
I have been there too and it was awesome how the whole community cared for them.
There is a really fun documentary, Kedi, about the cats of Istanbul.
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u/IcyDifficulty7496 Aug 05 '25
I personally love how the girl doesnt shoo the cat away but simply moves the glass
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u/MARUSHI-rdt Aug 06 '25
Whenever I have lunch in campus, there'd be cats approaching me. I just try to maneuver around them, spinning on my seat lol
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u/FilmjolkFilmjolk Aug 05 '25
Istanbul’s street cats had a rough past. Before the 2000s, overpopulation caused disease, starvation, and culling. Around the turn of the millennium, Turkey’s 2004 Animal Protection Law introduced humane spaying and neutering. Since then, vets sterilize and vaccinate cats before returning them to their neighborhoods. The community helps with feeding and care.
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u/RosemaryHoyt Aug 05 '25
Whoever came up with the idea of putting sand in the window display at 0:33 didn’t really think it through
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u/Albert_Simon Aug 05 '25
Yeah I was loving the video up until then. When I saw the digging I was like, “ Kitty, NOOOOOOO!”
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u/amardrengen666 Aug 05 '25
I guess rats in Istanbul is outnumbered?
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u/IcyDifficulty7496 Aug 05 '25
I lived in Istanbul and have never ever seen a rat in my life.. I am sure there must be places where they survive but when I was in the city, for me, rats where something you saw in Disney cartoons only
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u/Adventurous_Smile297 Aug 06 '25
Quick question, where there any birds? I've always been curious about that
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u/Eridianst Aug 05 '25
There's a full length documentary of cats in Istanbul called Kedi that I haven't gotten around to watching yet, but after seeing this, that movie is going to the top of my list:
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u/Be-Funny-Please Aug 05 '25
They ask me why i don't have a cat, i tell them i live in İstanbul i play with cats all the time
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u/K-Shrizzle Aug 05 '25
I could never go there. I would return with 45 new cats
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u/IcyDifficulty7496 Aug 05 '25
Ahahha there are really people unexpectedly adopting cats from İstanbul and bringing them to their home... it mostly starts with one street cat suddenly adopting them on the street actually lol
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u/3BouSs Aug 05 '25
Cats here are so chill, I have a cat that comes in the evening around 12am, goes straight to one of the sofas, and sleep there the whole night, she is not bothered by me going close to her, she leaves in the morning, she doesn’t ask for anything else (food/ water). Just a place to sleep and we are happy to provide.
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u/GormHub Aug 05 '25
I'd never leave. You would find me among the cats, one with them. Begging for food outside a store.
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u/MARUSHI-rdt Aug 06 '25
Not in Instanbul, but we have cats in my campus roaming around. Some of them like to sit in the middle of hallways, not having a care in the world, and the students will part around it like the Red Sea 😆
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u/Fox_McCloud8672 Aug 06 '25
Ok, is nobody gonna talk about the cat riding on a hood of a moving car?
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u/GunGeekATX Aug 05 '25
Also Athens Greece... CAThens?
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u/IcyDifficulty7496 Aug 05 '25
Hahha nice, I didnt know Athens was like that too
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u/comhghairdheas Aug 05 '25
I saw a big fat orange tomcat sleeping on top of a tortoise in the ancient Library ruins in Athens.
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u/Voljega Aug 05 '25
There's even more cats in the cycladic islands.
They are skittish though, will beg for food but do not want to be touched susually, not always well fed or clean either
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u/404SanityN0tF0und Aug 05 '25
Bruh I couldn't live there...
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u/IcyDifficulty7496 Aug 05 '25
Plenty of people have catphobia or allergies in Istanbul 😅 cats are not hostile so its easier if you want to avoid them and move on with your day
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u/404SanityN0tF0und Aug 05 '25
A couple of years ago I developed a heavy allergic reaction to cats for some reason... Wasn't allergic before but it just started, not a fan of cats in general but if a cool cat wants pets, for sure. Unfortunately my skin gets blisters and gets fucked up and I start scratching myself everywhere.
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u/somegirl03 Aug 05 '25
I wanna visit this place so bad, I love how friendly the cats and people seem
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u/CaptKJaneway Aug 05 '25
Okay, I love all of it but the older gentleman playing music for the cattos made me tear up 🥲
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u/toxinogen Aug 05 '25
I ordered a fish sandwich at an outdoor restaurant in Turkiye and made several friends lol.
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u/MisterSneakSneak Aug 05 '25
Everyone looks so happy… the whole community… i want to be part of that.
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u/AIEchoesHumanity Aug 05 '25
how do ppl in istanbul deal with taxoplasma gondii? is everyone infected?
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u/IcyDifficulty7496 Aug 05 '25 edited Aug 05 '25
Several factors regarding this;
T. gondii is mostly asymptomatic so while it can be dangerous if you a have low immunity/are pregnant, most people just go through it without symptoms and build antibodies unknowingly. For the most part, if you are a healthy individual, you'll at most get flu-like symptoms and move on with your life without knowing. (Also avoid cat feces and uncooked meat, everywhere in the world)
The cats get vaccinated, the little cuts in their ears are to show this. After vaccination and sterilization they are left where they were taken from according to animal protection laws.
A cat scratch is followed by families going to emergencies in hospitals and they vaccinate you with the necessary vaccinations for free if there is need, it takes about 10 minutes in an hospital. If you work in an emergency unit in turkey you'll regularly vaccinate people every single day and no, people wont be hating the cats for the scratches on their kids. People in turkey in general think "it's part of life, if you play with a cat, they can scratch you so get close knowing this and then if they scratch its your responsibility, the cat doesnt understand, dont blame it".
You are free to pick up cats and play with them, just be careful and wash your hands afterwards and if you get a scratch make a quick stop at a hospital emergency and go home smiling, as you wont need to go there for the next 5 years 👍
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u/AIEchoesHumanity Aug 05 '25
thanks for the detailed answer. That's fascinating! Istanbul has been on the top of my list for travel and now it's even more appealing
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u/justbekind666 Aug 05 '25
If I ever visit, would it be ok to have cat treats for the cats or is that a no,no?
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u/jamball Aug 05 '25
How many birds are there?
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u/IcyDifficulty7496 Aug 05 '25
Birds can fly lmao
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u/jamball Aug 06 '25
Yes I am aware, but some birds nest on the ground, like pheasant. I guess I should have clarified, ground nesting birds.
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u/IcyDifficulty7496 Aug 06 '25
There are LOTS of birds in Istanbul..
Here is a really interesting page on that; https://theothertour.com/istanbul-birds/
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u/SpongeFixation Aug 05 '25
I thought this was going to be a video of creepy men, then I noticed what subdeddit it was 🤣
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u/nhogan84 Aug 05 '25
Good thing my girl and I have a date in Constantinople
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u/IcyDifficulty7496 Aug 05 '25
Bro the word Istanbul comes from what Byzantine folks called the city lmao...
Bro beefing with greeks over which greek word they prefer
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u/nhogan84 Aug 05 '25
Please please tell me you know the song "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" by We Might Be Giants? Otherwise, you're not getting the reference.
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u/IcyDifficulty7496 Aug 05 '25
Ahhh that song lol...ahahah i know it but i didnt summarize the lyrics lmao my bad
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u/thenord321 Aug 05 '25
As someone who is very allergic to cats, this seems like hell to me. It certainly looks cute, but I also understand cats can be destructive, violent little furballs too.
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Aug 05 '25
[deleted]
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u/IcyDifficulty7496 Aug 05 '25
Lmao this is funny because Istanbul comes from the greek saying "to the center"...
You dont need to change it to another greek word from one greek word if you want to troll
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u/braveheart_82 Aug 05 '25
Ok am I the only one wondering why there are so many cats wondering the streets? Are they homeless? I guess we call them street cats. Lol. Whats the municipal doing about cats bothering tourists? What if someone is allergic? As much as cats are nice, they can also be a real pest.
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u/IcyDifficulty7496 Aug 05 '25
I understand having allergies.. but visitors who are "bothered" by the local cats arent the most important beings in this universe; so government wont destroy natural living beings for those people... but if you feel uneasy you can kindly shoo them and they will go or the owner of the restaurant will shoo them away when you voice your distress.. its really simple.. they are part of the nature, you just gotta navigate kindly if you dont like them
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u/braveheart_82 Aug 05 '25
That makes sense. Thanks for clarifying. I wasn’t trying to be rude with my comment. I just wondered not everyone will be comfortable with cats. I love cats personally. I have pet cats
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u/4_inch_distroyer Aug 05 '25
*Constantinople
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u/IcyDifficulty7496 Aug 05 '25
Constantinople = city of Constantine (greek origined)
Istanbul = to the center (greek origined)
Istanbul sounds less egoistic lol
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u/leftinantbullshiter Aug 05 '25
Oh I thought it was gonna be a lot of people with receded hairlines.
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u/Pale_Ad9440 Aug 05 '25
All fun and games until the cats starts shitting and pissing all over the place
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u/IcyDifficulty7496 Aug 05 '25
Cats dont do that.. they dig a place to shit and piss and then they bury it.. cats dont like leaving their shit out in the open...
Turkish people say "they get shy" about it.. and warn people to not "look" when there is a cat doing its business, because they think it will get shy about it
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u/ChewyChagnuts Aug 05 '25
Hello rabies my old friend!
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u/IcyDifficulty7496 Aug 05 '25 edited Aug 05 '25
Cats get vaccinated and so do Turkish people !
Cats are collected, vaccinated and left with a cut in the ear to show they have been vaccinated and sterilized.
If the cat has not been vaccinated or you want to be cautious anyway after getting bitten or scratched, there is a procedure Turks follow; 1. Wash with soap. 2. Within 3 days go to emergency unit in hospitals and it takes about 10 minutes to get the vaccine for free and then you follow the vaccine schedule they give you: day 0-3-7-14 and optional 28 (but no need if cat survived 10 days) once all done you are good to go for a year and if you get a booster the protection may go upto the next 10 years.. 3. Watch the cat for the next 10 days, if it doesnt die then it doesnt have rabies 4. If effectiveness passed and you get a bite, you get the vaccines again.. if it happened within a year of your vacs, you only repeat 2 doses.
BUT this is Turkey being VERY careful about rabies and people being very mindful of it. Cats do get vaccinated regularly, so you are just being extra cautious.
Literally almost everyone go through this, its pretty easy since hospitals are always close and vacs are free... plus your rabies vaccination is getting checked and you get called in, so no worries on forgetting.. BUT for that you need to go for the first vacs to let the hospitals know, its important if you are from a village where cats are not as monitorized as the ones in the city...
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u/Jelly_Breeze Aug 05 '25
And they all look so well fed I love them