You’ve been given quite the tour of Istanbul now! In the past few articles, we’ve seen both the European and Western sides of the Bosphorus, exploring areas such as Kadiköy, Moda, Nisantası, Bebek, Galata, Karaköy, Taksim, Beyoglu, and more! Istanbul is a multidimensional place, with endless layers of cultural contradictions and geopolitical complexities, but one thread of consistency that runs through this crazy place no matter where you go… is the abundance of stray cats.
Istanbul is CRAWLING with street cats. And, for the most part, they are all decently well-groomed and friendly toward people!
This is a detail that I did not remember from my last visit to Istanbul 10 years ago, but it has clearly always been a “thing”. Indeed, you’ll find cat-themed Istanbul souvenirs in most every touristy trinket shop. Cats are also well represented in Istanbul’s street art, and even its official signage! Here’s a little gallery to show you what I’m talking about…
The moment I realized what I was in for, I resolved to take a picture of every cat I saw. The resulting gallery can be found below.
So, what’s the story with these cats? How did they come to be part of the fabric of society in Istanbul, when it in most other places around the world they are treated… well, like stray cats?
A Brief History of Istanbul’s Cats
It started the same way it did throughout much of ye olde world. In a time when small animals like rats and mice carried disease, damaged important property, and often depleted food reserves if given the chance, cats were pest control. In exchange for their services in keeping at bay the hordes of vermin that plagued ancient societies, cats enjoyed all the food waste they wanted, and reliable access to lots of warm, sheltered places where they could snuggle up amongst the humans. This was the case in many ancient societies, including Ancient Greece, The Roman Empire, and Türkiye’s pre-pre-pre-cursor, the Byzantine Empire.
When the Ottomans conquered Constantinople in 1453, they brought with them Islamic attitudes towards animals, which encourage care and protection. This was (is) especially true for cats because Muslim culture places an extremely high premium on cleanliness, and cats are—relatively speaking—very clean animals! It also helps that the prophet Muhammad apparently had a real soft spot for cats. Istanbul not only accepted cats, but actually began to rely on them in many ways. They were a part of society that was not only beloved, but also functional and useful!
Even as Istanbul made the jump into the modern day, cats remained a cherished part of urban life. To be fair, Istanbul’s streets were a happy home to street dogs as well, but through time they had to be periodically rounded up and were eventually banished from street life. But not cats. They were too beloved, useful, and unobtrusive.
Today cats are part of the urban ecology. Istanbul’s mild climate, abundant food waste, and endless dense, low-rise neighborhoods with leafy courtyards, shops, and waterfronts makes a perfect habitat for cats. The more I think about this, this would be the IDEAL setting for a Pixar movie about cats. Can we make that happen please? The writers wouldn’t even need to start from scratch, because cats here are already being actively personified, with some real instances of cats becoming famous throughout the city and beyond! Here are a couple of examples:
A cat named Gli, who lived her life on the grounds of the famous Haggia Sophia, became an internet celebrity, even meeting President Obama in 2009! She passed away in 2020 and is now buried on the grounds. That means Gli was there when I visited the Hagia Sophia back in 2015! I wonder if I saw her.
There was a street cat in Ziverbey, Kadıköy named Tombili who became famous after a photograph of her was taken in a hilariously human-like reclining pose. She died in 2016, and after a local petition gained 17,000+ signatures, the city of Kadıköy put up a bronze statue of her. It was actually stolen briefly, but returned soon after.
In 2016, a notable documentary called Kedi came out that followed 7 cats as they lived their lives in Istanbul, interacting with their human and feline counterparts. Again, the cats were the main characters, each given names, personalities, and stories! Check this out:
Indeed, Istanbul’s culture of collective care for cats is very tangible! And this goes beyond people leaving out food, water, and/or insulated boxes for cats outside of their homes and businesses (all of which is common). Türkiye now has a bunch of cat-friendly laws and programs in place! Examples include…
An animal protection law in 2004 made it mandatory for municipalities to take care of street animals. As a result, Istanbul’s local government runs mobile veterinary clinics and fixed “health centers” for stray animals.
In 2018, Istanbul’s city government reported caring for 73,608 animals (compared to 2,470 in 2004, when the law was passed). Additionally, thanks to Istanbul’s vaccination and monitoring efforts, there have been ZERO cases of rabies since 2016. So, I think you’re safe to pet all the cats you want here!
In addition to cat healthcare, Istanbul also makes big efforts on population control, with a “trap-neuter-return” approach. Under this approach, cats are humanely trapped, sterilized, vaccinated, and then returned to their territory, usually with their ears marked to indicate that they’ve been processed.
Istanbul’s efforts not only help stabilize populations and reduce disease, but also avoid the possibility of mass euthanasia. Indeed, Istanbul has a no-kill, no-capture policy (except in extraordinary or public health cases). Pretty cool, huh?
Ok, so Istanbul loves cats. But that’s not really why you’re here, is it? You’re probably here because YOU love cats too. Well, I won’t make you wait any longer. Let me introduce you to some of the cats of Istanbul…
On this happy note, it’s time to move on from Istanbul! If you want to zoom out and see all of my coverage on this iconic city to date, you can find all of them here, on the Türkiye country page. As of now (2025), Istanbul is (unfortunately) the only place I’ve visited in Türkiye, but I’m sure that will change soon.
In the meantime, we’ll be headed back to proper Europe for a while. The queue of articles might be at an all-time high right now, so stay tuned and don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t.
Until we meet again. ✌️
