One of the biggest shocks that I got when arriving in Istanbul was to discover that there are stray cats wandering the streets. They are in residential areas, tourist areas, mosques, basically all over the city. The thing that I have come to realize is that stray cats are viewed differently here than in The States.
For the most part, none of the cats that I have seen look disease-ridden or malnourished. In fact people put food out for the cats, and I ended up carrying a bag of cat treats in my camera bag to join in the fun! I am sure that the city does control the population somehow, but none of us has seen a single mouse or rat anywhere so I am sure there is a tradeoff. (Though I have noticed a couple of suspect piles of bird feathers.)
I have even come across a couple of neighborhoods that have cat houses.
The stray dogs on the other hand look like they don't fare as well as the cats.
For the most part, none of the cats that I have seen look disease-ridden or malnourished. In fact people put food out for the cats, and I ended up carrying a bag of cat treats in my camera bag to join in the fun! I am sure that the city does control the population somehow, but none of us has seen a single mouse or rat anywhere so I am sure there is a tradeoff. (Though I have noticed a couple of suspect piles of bird feathers.)
I have even come across a couple of neighborhoods that have cat houses.
The stray dogs on the other hand look like they don't fare as well as the cats.
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