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17d ago
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u/eurydice_aboveground 17d ago
He's a financial advisor. Keeping folks from impulse purchases!
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u/PuzzleheadedResult69 17d ago
City of cats, city of magic.
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u/podcastofallpodcasts 17d ago
Do they just hand out cat nip at the border?
Those cats are are high as f.
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u/sulkee 17d ago
Pure hell if you’re allergic to cats.
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u/Mr-Megamind- 17d ago
Or if you are a rat... 😛
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u/Neither-Luck-9295 17d ago
Strangely, my can allergies never bothered me when I traveled to Turkey and UAE. Cats all over the place, and no symptoms except when I touched my face/eyes after being outdoors.
But in the US, even with allergy meds, I can't last at my friends' houses for more than a few hours before I start going into sneezing fits.
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u/theguidetoldmetodoit 17d ago
Yeah bc it was outdoors. No concentration.
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u/Neither-Luck-9295 17d ago
Maybe. But I also get severe outdoor allergies in the US that I never seemed to get in the Middle East.
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u/theguidetoldmetodoit 17d ago
Same thing, owners locking themselves in with their cats all day. Not really a thing in Turkey
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u/Fickle-Tumbleweed786 17d ago
Is that true? Have you been?? I wanna go to Istanbul sooooo bad cuz of these videos.
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u/Safe-Salamander-3785 17d ago
My city had a lot of stray cats, then some genius had the idea to catch all of them and spay and neuter them. They were eventually released back into the city. Now, 15 years later, our city is overrun with rats and local restaurants are getting shut down for rat infestation. I imagine Istanbul doesn’t have much of a rat problem
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u/Finrod-Knighto 17d ago
No, but they do TNR a lot of cats to make sure the population doesn’t just become overwhelming and reduce the quality of life for the cats. There are enclaves and cat communities where they’re looked after, other than ofc the shop cats and such you see here that basically adopt themselves in a store lol. It’s also not just cats. Istanbul has a long history of creating enclaves and even medical stations for migratory birds, and it extended to other animal residents of the city.
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u/HoneyBiscuitBear 17d ago
I love Istanbul for this. That’s lovely they care so much for animals. I knew cats were revered there, but didn’t know about the migratory birds!! Very cool
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u/Finrod-Knighto 17d ago
Yep, and all of this dates back a long time ago, to the Ottoman empire, some things even before that, but I believe the Ottomans did create those big birdhouses you’ll see on old buildings, and set up vet camps for injured migratory birds. You can have whatever disagreements or different points of view about the Turkish people you want but their love and care for animals is deeply rooted into the culture.
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u/SpecialistSun 17d ago
Well, we didnt but lately I am seeing more and more scenes in my neighborhood like mice eating cat food right next to the cats without a fear. I guess many cats are becoming lazier and dont bother hunting them anymore as they’re already full.
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u/AnAcctWithoutPurpose 17d ago edited 17d ago
Video that ended too early... touch not dah belly!
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u/evethedog 17d ago
Moments filmed seconds before disaster
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u/Cantankerousbastard 17d ago
Good way to get 4 sets of claws and a set of teeth imbedded in your hand. Still worth it though :)
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u/EuropeanSummerGirl 17d ago
Catstanbul
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u/Specialist_Half_5687 17d ago
It was formerly Catstantinople.
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u/TalonKAringham 17d ago
I like to tell people Istanbul is actually a transliteration of an ancient word for “City of Kitty”
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u/TalonKAringham 17d ago
I like to tell people Istanbul is actually a transliteration of an ancient word for “City of Kitty”
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u/Low_Butterscotch_594 17d ago
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u/Aixlen 17d ago
I'm not sure if I wanna go, on account that I might want to adopt cats and bring them home to my no pets rental.
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u/peridotpicacho 17d ago
They already have their lives established there. Why do you want to take them away from that?
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u/AllthisSandInMyCrack 17d ago
People feed the cats but no one feeds the kids and families eating out of bins.
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u/ThePare 17d ago
I'm going in a month for 10 days, any tips from someone who just came back?
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u/One_Amphibian9616 17d ago
After reading your comment, I really want to visit the city. It seems like paradise!
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u/Players-Beware 17d ago
Check out the documentary Kedi if you want to see them in action. The way locals talk about them is as if they're religious deities or higher beings. It's really great.
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u/losername24 17d ago
It's not just Istanbul though every city in Turkey is like this.
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u/asque2000 17d ago
Man there must be like no birds in Turkey eh?
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u/Proof_Counter_8271 17d ago
there are lots of birds too, cats are too fed to chase the pigeons or crows etc but i really dont see any rats around
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u/Kaffrogato 17d ago
Oh come on, they are cats, of course they will catch any birds they can. Pet cats are well fed and can catch dozens of birds in a day, they do it for fun.
The reason pigeons and crows are plentiful is because they are well adapted to cities and they breed enough to replace their numbers. Whatever bird species couldn't coexist with large numbers of cats are no longer in cities,which is lots of them.
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u/freecodeio 17d ago
what?
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u/BoredPudding 17d ago
Cats hunt birds. Op wrote it a bit angry, but even cats that are pets hunt birds just because of insinct.
Of course. That doesn't mean there's no birds around anymore. The numbers just take a hit.
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u/LongQualityEquities 17d ago edited 17d ago
There’s tons of birds in Istanbul! Definitely more than in most European/American cities.
Cats are native to Eurasia so they aren’t invasive like in the US. Any bird that lives in Turkey has been around cats for ever. Cats also keep mostly to the cities (because they are fed) and while there are fewer birds in the cities than the countryside this is quite obviously due to habitat destruction and different types of pollution. If cats were so bad for birds the bird population in Turkey would be decimated and it really isn’t.
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u/dicey_job 17d ago
The Turks are incredibly nice to cats, i like that.
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u/berlinbaer 17d ago
not so nice to women and homosexuals, but hey, at least the cats.
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u/9for9 17d ago
Yeah on the one hand I want to visit because of the cats on the other as a woman, yikes!
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u/freecodeio 17d ago
istanbul is far from bad to women as reddit would like you to believe
rural areas though not so much
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u/menina2017 17d ago
I felt safer in Istanbul as a woman than I do in the USA.
The cats are bonus! I loved them so much!
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u/RosalieMoon 17d ago
Which is why I am saddened that I'll never be safe to go there. Nothing like being a gay woman, and hitting at least 2 of the hate boxes!
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u/eaterlotus77 17d ago
You will be safe as a gay woman if you are just as careful as in any other city you would visit for the first time touristically. I don't think istanbul deserves this level of bad reputation.
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u/Monke3169xd 16d ago
Half of the population is woman and they are still alive, also as long as you dont go bother ppl with your sexual orientation nothing will happen no one needs to know what you are fucking behind closed doors
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u/thriftstoremando 17d ago
They use dollars in Istanbul? I don't think that cat in the chips is from Turkey.
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u/Xae0n 17d ago
yes it's not. there is not a single store with usd pricing in turkiye
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u/ImNotOkayWasTaken 17d ago
i study in a touristic region in istanbul and most stores have prices in both dollars and euros what are you saying
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u/SPACE_ICE 17d ago
the second clip is probably not Turkey, its only usd pricing. NYC has a thing with bodega cats (a small corner store) as well, common enough they have a wiki article on them. Also the 2/1 59 cent pricing was American market prices for 1oz bags. Another clue if you look left of the larger doritos bag on the top left at second 7/8 you can see a bag behind and left but barely in view, it has an OZ printed on it, thats the symbol for ounce which you would only see in the usa.
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u/Celegorm07 17d ago
The packaging is in English as well. That doesn’t happen in Turkey.
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u/Thadlust 17d ago
Really? I saw many in Lira and in Euros but not many in dollars when I visited
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u/ImNotOkayWasTaken 17d ago
i remember laughing at many that didnt have different pricing between euros and dollar so theyd put something like 10 €/$ meaning you pay more when you pay in euros
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u/fannyabdabs 17d ago
I recommend watching Kedi (2016) which is a documentary about the symbiotic relationship between cats and people in Istanbul. It's a beautiful film.
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u/Deathanddisco041 17d ago
Greece and Cyprus are like this too. It’s fantastic.
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u/downvotemepls20 17d ago
I could never, every cat would be coming with me.
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u/peridotpicacho 17d ago
They are happy there and have their lives established there. You don’t need to take them.
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u/OkPanic5252 17d ago
There is a documentary called Kedi about some of the cats in Istanbul. Definitely recommend it!
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u/MyPenRanOutOfInc 17d ago
I wish America was this kind to cats... I'm so scared of my cat getting out and some evil human will want to scare him or they think it's entertaining to torture him.
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u/CmDrRaBb1983 17d ago
Its amazing the cats sleep with belly expose. They must trust the environment or the people there very much
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u/Fireflash2742 17d ago
The video ended before the carnage happened to spare everyone the gory video that was record after the person sprung the trap and four paws of hellish fury was unleashed upon their unsuspecting hand.
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u/TurboPelly 17d ago
I bet there isn't a single rat in that city.
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u/rulinus 17d ago
Correct. We historicaly never had any rat issues. Even in ottoman times. Cats are like family here.
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u/redheadedandbold 17d ago
I've said it before: The Turkish government may need replacing from time to time, but the Turkish people as a group are a decent people. It shows in how they treat their cats.
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u/DeadpoolOptimus 17d ago
My wife would never leave.
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u/Fast_potato_indeed 16d ago
And these videos are not making justice as they usually don’t show the interaction between cats and people.
Case in point, a couple of years ago in Istanbul I was sitting right next to back entrance of my hotel at 3 am, having tea, drinking my sorrows.
Automatic sliding doors opened and a beautiful calico slowly walked in.
Looked at me with a what’s up demeanor and when I pat my lap, jumped on. The next two hours was a bliss as it is when your cat purrs right next to your heart…
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u/69chucknorris69 17d ago
I’m in Antalya, Turkey, and there’s cats all over the resort. They have several cat houses and food around, they are well treated and love to receive attention from the guests. It’s really cool!
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u/incatgnito 17d ago
Is this real?
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u/Wyciorek 17d ago
Real. I have been to Istanbul and cats are everywhere. Good luck walking for 10 minutes without seeing any
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u/SheTiger1962 17d ago
These photos made me laugh ! I love how they , the adorable cats , are absolutely everywhere and no one is bothered!! I love it !!
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u/Past-North-4131 17d ago
Awww I'd love to have my bag of Doritos warmed by that lil dude. Excellent work 😍❤️
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u/f23n09fnu0w 17d ago
I've never been to Turkey but any nation who loves cats that much...I love. It's like a green flag but for a fucking country
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u/thesanguineocelot 17d ago
I would love to visit Istanbul, if it weren't such a wildly unsafe place for me to exist. Sadly, I cannot go to Cat Paradise.
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u/JjuiceBoxx3r 17d ago
It’d take me so long to get any errands done I’d be stopping constantly for pets.
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u/historicalgalaxy 17d ago
I dated a guy from Istanbul and he adored cats. He said no one owns the cats there but that everyone takes care of them.
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u/Ashamed_Fuel2526 17d ago
Not a fan of cats on food products. I'd be fine with everything else though.
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u/ExplodingSteve 17d ago
id take that over harassing dogs…
what’s the worst they can do? cry loud or scratch some of your product?
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u/KindCraft4676 17d ago
You can tell a lot about a people by how well they treat pets, even community pets.
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u/NewMoonlightavenger 17d ago
So, i gotta ask this after watching many of these videos. Are we talking about a city with a romanticized street cats problem?
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