Stray Cats

We have cats in our garden, lots of cats. I know that Garfield and Doman (Smoky) belong to the downstairs neighbors but I can't speak for the rest of them. There is Fluffy and Orangy and Patches... OK those are my names for them. None of them will let me touch them and that just kills me. Smoky and Garfield are 6-month old kittens that thankfully do let me scratch their heads and pet them. They are super cute and friendly. Garfield is fearless and curious and, of course, orange. Smoky meows a lot, but it is a quiet meowing so it is sort of sweet. I haven't tried to pick them up yet, fearing a repeat of the Trooper scratch-my-face-relentlessly scenario. Someday I will be so brave.

There are a lot of cats in Istanbul, mostly strays. Dogs too. Even in the busiest parts of town. Last week, I watched a pack of dogs chase an orange cat up a tree in my neighborhood and when I passed by a half-hour later, the kitty was still up there. I wondered if fire departments in Istanbul ever rescue cats from trees. I have been told* that once or twice a year, the City of Istanbul picks up the stray animals and, get this, takes them to the vet. No, they don't get sent east to some "farm" where they will be very, very happy. They get veterinary attention, a little tag on their ear (if they are a dog) and are released to go on their seemingly merry ways. While people don't generally touch these strays, people do feed them and give them water. They generally appear to be quite happy and healthy, and feel quite at home on the streets.

*There is a verb tense in Turkish that is used when something is merely reported to you, but you were not privy to the event. I realize that so much of what I "know" about this place falls in that category. I wonder if I will ever feel like I really understand Istanbul and all its contradictions.