Purrrrfect Turkey Trip

–Authored by Jishnu Guhathakurta

One of the many novel things about Turkey and particularly Istanbul is the stray cats and kittens who roam freely on the streets. I saw many running around the streets of Istanbul, taking a cozy nap under a bridge, or gracefully roaming around the narrow alleys of Grand Bazaar. My first encounter was after my first meal in Istanbul, after finishing lunch at a swanky restaurant overlooking the Bosphorus: I was greeted outside the exit doors with two beautiful cats. As instinct would have it, I leaned down to play and pet them. Surprise, surprise, they loved the attention and purred away.

Most cats in Turkey are well groomed and comfortable with strangers. I found out that stray cats in Turkey are neutered and considered as communal pets. The concept of communal pets was intriguing to me. I did some further digging and found out that cats have a strong religious significance in Islam and are held in a special place according to Islamic tradition. It is believed that when a poisonous snake approached the Prophet Muhammad, a cat came and prevented the attack. Since, cats own a special place among the Muslim population of Turkey. Residents of Istanbul are often seen feeding these communal cats and have accepted them as part of their life. One could see make shift feeding bowls for the cats across the city.

These communal cats were a nice relief from the hustle and bustle of the city. In Istanbul, we had extremely packed days, visiting companies and taking in the city whenever we could. To see a cat napping or stretching while the busy city life goes on was a welcome change. They add a beautiful new dimension to the city life and gave us the opportunity to slow down and pet such wonderful creatures. It makes Istanbul unique compared to other metropolitan cities.

Another place where cats were in abundance was the Roman remains at Ephesus. Cats would gracefully wonder around the ruins of a city which was built in 300 BC. It seemed as if the cats were guarding these ruins and were the pseudo care takers of an ancient city. One could also not miss people pouring water in the marble ruins which acted as the drinking bowl for the cats. So, if you are planning to visit Ephesus anytime soon, please don’t forget to pet the cats and pour some water in their drinking bowl.

Throughout the trip I was on the lookout for the famous Turkish Van cats, an indigenous breed known for their silky long fur, mostly white body with a majestic colored tail, and often dual-colored eyes (one blue and one amber). Unfortunately, I didn’t see them. However, I was perfectly happy petting the equally adorable non-pedigree cats.

At this point in the post, one might be wondering about my obsession with cats. But fear not, I was not the only one who took a liking to the cats. Many of my fellow MBAs petted the cats whenever they got a chance. We all captured them through our lenses and brought home some cat inspired souvenirs.