Feral cats in Istanbul

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A clowder of feral cats in Istanbul, 2006

Istanbul hosts a sizeable feral cat (Turkish: sokak kedisi) population, with estimates ranging from a hundred thousand to over a million stray cats. Many Turkish citizens view street animals as communally-owned pets, rather than traditional strays, and the country has a blanket no-kill, no capture policy.[1]

History[]

According to Ayşe Sabuncu from Cats of Istanbul the wide prevalence of cats in the city can be connected back to Ottoman times. The vast majority of Istanbul's (then Kostantiniyye) houses were made of wood, which gave shelter and enabled the proliferation of the mouse and rat populations. This made cats' presence a necessity in the city.[2] Various media sources connected the positive attitude towards cats in Turkey to Islam (see Islam and cats),[3][2] the most prevalent faith in the country, but this has been rejected by others.[citation needed]

Health[]

A kitten being fed in Eminönü

A 2011 study that examined tapeworm infections in stray animals of Istanbul found that 4.65% of the examined cats had Joyeuxiella pasqualei infections.[4] Feline immunodeficiency virus and feline leukemia virus were found to be common among outdoor and stray cats.[5] Although stray cats can be a vector for rabies, out of all 21 rabies cases in Turkey documented between 2000 and 2014 none were through a contact between cats and humans.[6]

Public feeding of cats by the locals has been criticized by several veterinairans. A 2015 paper published by Rutgers University academics stated that collective feeding attracts and leads to concentration of animals to a specific area, which in turn facilitates the transmission of certain diseases. Healthy cats' contact with objects such as food and water containers that were contaminated by sick animals is another concern.[7]

Law[]

Street cats sleeping in Cihangir.

Before 2021 the Turkish law defined animals (strays and pets) as “commodities”, rather than "living beings". This classification was criticized by animal rights activists, as it led to perceived lenient penalties against animal cruelty. According to the proposition that was accepted in 2021, pets and stray animals were given "living being" status, which allows from six months up to four years jail sentences for crimes against animals. The law also mandates the sterilization of all stray animals in Turkey.[8][1]

In 2019 a Japanese national was deported from Turkey after he admitted to killing and eating 5 stray cats in Küçükçekmece, which gained widespread outrage in both countries.[9]

In popular culture and media[]

Feral cats of Istanbul have been represented in various media. Critically acclaimed 2016 Turkish documentary film Kedi centers around several stray cats that live in the city.[10]  [jp]'s 2015 children's book Searching for a Cat in Istanbul (Japanese: イスタンブルで猫さがし) concerns with the search of a stray Turkish Van cat by students attending the Istanbul Japanese School.[11] Social media is noted to be a particular medium that Istanbul's cats gained popularity.[2]

Gallery[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "New Turkish Law Could Save Animals". LIVEKINDLY. 2021-07-07. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Why so many stray cats in Istanbul?". BBC News. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
  3. ^ "Istanbul: The city of cats". Daily Sabah. 2020-11-19. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
  4. ^ ÖTER, Kerem; BİLGİN, Zahide; TINAR, Recep; TÜZER, Erkut (2009). "İstanbul'da Sokak Kedi ve Köpeklerinde Sestod Enfeksiyonları". Kafkas Universitesi Veteriner Fakultesi Dergisi. doi:10.9775/kvfd.2011.4275. ISSN 1300-6045.
  5. ^ Yilmaz, H.; Ilgaz, A.; Harbour, D. A. (March 2000). "Prevalence of FIV and FeLV infections in cats in Istanbul". Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. 2 (1): 69–70. doi:10.1053/jfms.2000.0066. ISSN 1098-612X. PMID 11716594.
  6. ^ İnce, Erdal (2015). "Kuduz" (PDF). Ankara University Medical School.
  7. ^ Mattson, Savannah; Szajdecki, Ryan; Fagan, Julie M. (2015). "Reducing unmonitored population density of stray animals in Istanbul". doi:10.7282/T3ZK5JQK. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. ^ "Turkey's long-awaited animal rights legislation underway - Turkey News". Hürriyet Daily News. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
  9. ^ "Turkey deports Japanese man for eating cats". Japan Today. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
  10. ^ Metz, Nina. "Capturing the real lives of Istanbul's street cats in 'Kedi'". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
  11. ^ 大藪，加奈 (2019). "Multiple Narratives in Searching for a Cat in Istanbul". kanazawa-u.repo.nii.ac.jp.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
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