Istanbul - Cat Tragedy
If I lived here permanently, I'm fairly certain I would end up being the Crazy Cat Lady of Istanbul.
This country doesn't have animal shelters or pounds as far as I can tell, so the streets are literally crawling with stray cats and dogs. The most unfortunate 4-legged creatures I've ever seen. They eat trash and anyting the tourists will feed them. Istanbullas seem indifferent, and sometimes worse.
The worst experience I mentioned in part 3? The saddest, most mangy, scrawny, beat up looking orange tabby walked up to a man and meowed for food. The man kicked him. Then the cat walked up to me, looked up and meowed, and I had no food to give him. It honestly broke my heart. I completely lost it, and burst into tears. I walked away, tears streaming down my face for a good ten minutes. Half an hour later, thinking about it would still bring the water works. I just shed a few right now as I typed this.
Later, when Hasan and I were having dinner, the minute the meat was set down on the table, there was a calico kitty at my feet, meowing. So I broke some meat off and set it on the ground. As I ate, the cat continued to sit there, pawing at my pants for more meat. I ended up feeding half my plate to the poor little thing. He was so cute, he'd take the food from my hand, using his paws as if they were hands of his own.
I've bought milk and opened it and left it on the street a few times (I've seen others doing this, I think whatever makes cats lactose intolerant doesn't apply when they're mangy and starving).
Last night, on my way to my hotel, I heard the most god awful howling coming from across the street. I walked over, so see that an older cat had chased a kitten up the tree, and the kitten was howling because he was afraid and didn't want to get down.
I spent half an hour coaxing that kitten out of the tree. An elderly Turkish man brought me out some lavash bread and milk to use (he also kept motioning me inside, but I didn't go). Finally I got the kitten down, only to have 2 dogs come over because of the food and chase the poor thing right back up. It took another 10 or so, of my and the man's coaxing, but we got the kitten out. He tried to take my stuff inside his shop with him, but I said no and thanked him in Turkish, and went on to my hotel.
It bothers me to see the dogs, too, but I am a cat lover through and through, and the plight of the animals (particularly the cats) here, makes me think of my own 2 kittens, having been abandoned and left to starve in a box before they were rescued and I could adopt them.
So Mejane - when you feed the babies for me next, please pick them both up and give them cuddles and kisses and tell them their mommy loves and misses them?
This country doesn't have animal shelters or pounds as far as I can tell, so the streets are literally crawling with stray cats and dogs. The most unfortunate 4-legged creatures I've ever seen. They eat trash and anyting the tourists will feed them. Istanbullas seem indifferent, and sometimes worse.
The worst experience I mentioned in part 3? The saddest, most mangy, scrawny, beat up looking orange tabby walked up to a man and meowed for food. The man kicked him. Then the cat walked up to me, looked up and meowed, and I had no food to give him. It honestly broke my heart. I completely lost it, and burst into tears. I walked away, tears streaming down my face for a good ten minutes. Half an hour later, thinking about it would still bring the water works. I just shed a few right now as I typed this.
Later, when Hasan and I were having dinner, the minute the meat was set down on the table, there was a calico kitty at my feet, meowing. So I broke some meat off and set it on the ground. As I ate, the cat continued to sit there, pawing at my pants for more meat. I ended up feeding half my plate to the poor little thing. He was so cute, he'd take the food from my hand, using his paws as if they were hands of his own.
I've bought milk and opened it and left it on the street a few times (I've seen others doing this, I think whatever makes cats lactose intolerant doesn't apply when they're mangy and starving).
Last night, on my way to my hotel, I heard the most god awful howling coming from across the street. I walked over, so see that an older cat had chased a kitten up the tree, and the kitten was howling because he was afraid and didn't want to get down.
I spent half an hour coaxing that kitten out of the tree. An elderly Turkish man brought me out some lavash bread and milk to use (he also kept motioning me inside, but I didn't go). Finally I got the kitten down, only to have 2 dogs come over because of the food and chase the poor thing right back up. It took another 10 or so, of my and the man's coaxing, but we got the kitten out. He tried to take my stuff inside his shop with him, but I said no and thanked him in Turkish, and went on to my hotel.
It bothers me to see the dogs, too, but I am a cat lover through and through, and the plight of the animals (particularly the cats) here, makes me think of my own 2 kittens, having been abandoned and left to starve in a box before they were rescued and I could adopt them.
So Mejane - when you feed the babies for me next, please pick them both up and give them cuddles and kisses and tell them their mommy loves and misses them?
posted by Serrephim | Saturday, June 10, 2006
1 Comments:
The babies are safe and sound and they miss you.
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