lens-artists photo challenge #61 – pets (everybody wants to be a cat)

In Istanbul is the cat the King.

Kedi is a 2016 Turkish documentary film directed by Ceyda Torun about the many stray cats that live in Istanbul, the most beautiful movie (watched it twice). The stars in the documentary are:

Duman – the gentleman
Sari – the hustler
Bengü – the lover
Psikpoat – the psycho
Deniz – the social butterfly
Alan Parcasi – the hunter

There are about 2,2 million cats in Istanbul in total (both house cats and strays). They own the city … it’s their city and the people of Istanbul loves them.

“In this city,
the ordinary cat
lives an extraordinary life.”

And they are everywhere … in all colors, shades, sizes, and ages. They are respected by people and so well looked after. Istanbul wouldn’t be the same city without its cats. They say that the cats are Istanbul’s soul.

Even the Ottoman imperial mosque, now the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul is a cat house. Indeed, the gorgeous piece of architecture is the home of Gli. She is a European shorthair with slightly-crossed eyes, and she’s been living inside the Hagia Sophia for nearly 14 years. Gli’s sister Kizim also lives inside the Hagia Sophia. I never had the pleasure to meet either of the sisters, but I’m not President Obama. *smile

Image provided by and thanks to Sandy Gennrich

But I have met …. this lot in Istanbul and the rest of the world.

“Women and cats will do as they please,
and men and dogs should relax
and get used to the idea.”
Robert A. Heinlein

In memory of my two beautiful cats: Whiskey and Zoda!

Lens-Artists Challenge #61 – Precious Pets