Petting ALL the cats in Turkey?!

[@JohannaNazareen1225]

When I was in Istanbul my host Selim saw a cat sitting on his car so we couldn't go anywhere by a car so we took the bus. We were late to family gathering and when they asked why he didn't bring me sooner he said :"there was a cat on my car so we had to take the bus" They were like :"aahaa! Ok then"

[@orbit1894]

Its cat's car now.

[@JohannaNazareen1225]

@@orbit1894 yes it is. 🤣She sat there for hours

[@mayavebiz]

🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣

[@Brekraymutu]

the equivalent of a cat sitting on you when you are laying in bed

[@user-16757]

i’ve been living in turkey for a year now and always bring 1kg whiskas whenever i went out for a walk or everywhere. i just love the meow2 sound when they’re asking foods. so grateful for my partner being patient while i’m feeding, rubbing and playing with cats.

[@davidwillhite421]

That's what I'm like too. I had a great time seeing how many I could pet!

[@timucintataroglu9271]

Where are you from, and why are you living in Turkey?

[@yunyun9201]

Sounds like u were in the paradise

[@Gamers1453]

Thank you for what you are doing! However, Whiskas is really not a great choice for cats as it causes liver issues. I know it is one of the most well-known and used pet food for street animals in Turkey but please consider trying other pet foods.

[@Breath_of__death]

​@@timucintataroglu9271 lan türkiye de milyonlarca suriyeli veya afgan var bu adamın tr'de yaşamasımı senin zoruna gidiyor

[@zuzu5097]

i live in İstanbul since i was born and i always make sure to have some cat food in my school bag because there are sooooooo many cats! Thank you for this beatiful video!

[@Марта-й7е]

И аз така правя. Поздрав от България!

[@nodanceswithwolves8425]

Just one of the many reasons I love Turkey! The people are lovely, the scenery is amazing, and some of the best food in the world. Went there many years ago....loved it.

[@mayavebiz]

🙏❤️❤️🇹🇷

[@davidwillhite421]

I agree. It was a wonderful place, wonderful people and food! I especially enjoyed the architecture and the archaeology.

[@SkipAd_Vegas]

The cat situation there was one of the nicest surprises I had in my visit there years ago..they just came up to me like I had raised them from kittenhood.

[@RichieLarpa]

What a wonderful mission.

[@MimiTheMemeGod]

Cute kitty, bowtie man is my favorite

[@davidwillhite421]

Me too!

[@liviafernandes4054]

Omg! You're in heaven with those little fluffy angels 😇!!

[@LigmaBalls-hv5sw]

Cute cats, nice video

[@davidwillhite421]

Thank you very much!

[@justadummy8076]

I love all of the photos you took just holding & petting the cats, I can tell you had a great time

[@Wings_Jet]

You are a good man David. A big hug to you all from Istanbul.

[@fouadhaddadeen5154]

These BEAUTIES deserve the WORLD

[@joejoe-cs8ct]

i have fell down the turkey stray cats rabbit hole. i am not scared to delve deeper

[@kuvaytcev]

so many cute little guys, love it

[@MrAdnanozkan]

Kediler güzeldir ve insana yakındır. Onları mutlu ettin, sende mutlu ol.

[@ViVith007]

I always think about the cats with neck tie - like a professional ceo😆

[@davutnacikaya]

Adam türkiyeye kedi sevmek için gelmiş😀😀

[@لاتهتمفهذاالوقتسيمر]

Yah crazy

[@لاتهتمفهذاالوقتسيمر]

To me if iwant to visit i will visit u to see the new air jet 🛩️ that made in turkey

[@JustAPersonWhoComments]

Fun fact: These cats have a long history in the country, and are revered by many as symbols of good luck and prosperity

[@MariadoCarmoNascimentoDamiao]

Parabéns que Deus abençoe quem ama e cuide dos animais no mundo todo nota 10👋👋👍👍🙏♥️😹♥️😻🫲🫱🇧🇷

[@itsyoboylhgamin6435]

Man I wanna go pet my cat now lol

[@davidwillhite421]

Right?!

[@Real_Tommy7291]

Amazing video!

[@davidwillhite421]

You are so kind, thanks!

[@beztoop342]

For the last few years I've spent about half of each year in Turkiye and really, it would take a lifetime to pet all the cats there! Love that provision are made for them in some towns though ... little shelters where they can sleep and people put food for them. There is a neutering programme too, to try and keep the cat population in control. Neutered cats have a little piece of an ear missing, that the vets snip to mark them as 'done'.

[@davidwillhite421]

Yep, that sounds like what I learned. I guess some Turkish people consider them "their cat", but it seemed like most were "public".

[@ErnnestasSuncity]

More cats less rats and demons

[@edwarddamian4764]

Bcuz They are demons

[@komikherif5427]

@@edwarddamian4764 wut

[@ShoaibAli-tz9lm]

​​@@edwarddamian4764 yeah you're talking about yourself🤦‍♂️🥲

[@echidnaralsei1473]

Iblis flees at the sight of resident cat

[@u.6546]

​@@echidnaralsei1473 there is no proof for this in the Qur'ān and Sunnah, only say things which are authentic.

[@abdullahshahpicture]

very nice❤❤❤❤❤

[@meetingallthecatsofistanbu3252]

I had a similar goal. Futile attempt but a very noble one. :) Best of luck on your quest.

[@davidwillhite421]

Thank you. This is one of my best performing videos, which surprised me, because my Gobekli Tepe documentary is going to be revolutionary. And the previews didn't perform as well as this.

[@EsraKanat]

Lovely ❤❤😺😺

[@giovannimarra4168]

Come vorrei essere a Istanbul ❤❤ ❤ 👍🙏👍

[@peppermintmocha6277]

i wanna cuddle them all

[@davidwillhite421]

Most were friendly, especially if you had food. Some were too shy to get close to.

[@huawietelcom4516]

I love cats

[@Derpyderpderper]

When i was in middle school my dream tourist destination was japan/swiss because i'm a weeb and i love sweets, now i just wanna spend a weekend lying in a park bench somewhere in istanbul playing with cats

[@lubicakamzikova74]

☺️kniezata pokoja

[@sayochikun3288]

Pretty sure 95% of population thinks this is how every other country streets are full of animals.

[@davidwillhite421]

In southern Oregon, there are a few cats downtown. Mostly feral cats that local businesses leave food out for. I only know of 3 or 4 cats downtown. But my business has a shop cat and I also have a cat at home.

[@Марта-й7е]

@@davidwillhite421 Браво! Котките са душата на града.Поздрави от България!

[@wildmorrison]

I'm Turkish, thanks for this beautiful video! ❤ And thousands of people in Turkey have cats and dogs at home because although most of Turkey is Muslim, Turkey is a secular country, and Turkish Muslims also have cats and dogs at home, but not in Arab countries.

[@davidwillhite421]

Thanks for clarifying. I have heard more than one viewpoint on this.

[@komikherif5427]

@@davidwillhite421 no worries man Islam is hard to understand for someone outside the culture because how misinformed many "muslims" are a lot of the weird things you hear are made up by fed up parents.

[@Марта-й7е]

Здравейте, Онур! Винаги съм щастлива в Истанбул с котките му, особено в Кадъкьой, любимия ми квартал. И аз се грижа за няколко от години. Каква е причината в арабските страни да нямат тези прекрасни създания в домовете си? От Пловдив, където има котки по улиците, обичани от хората. Поздрав от България!😺

[@eksheerik]

@@Марта-й7е Totally differences about culture. Muslims mean everyone equal. Araps not teorickliy use to religion equality. they live culture like religion. in Turkiye right now milions arabs live. Usually they not love street animals.

[@Breath_of__death]

​@@eksheerik We don't like Arabs and no lie I'm racist to them as much as I can

[@drunkensquirrel7545]

I wish that we could live in Turkey. Stray and feral cats are drawn to our home, but here in the US we have to be careful. I'm legitimately afraid that our neighbors will harm our little foundlings. Kind people in our state who feed & provide TNR for feral colonies are threatened & must work in secrecy. If the colonies are discovered, then many people will kill or maim the poor creatures. It's very sad. 😔

[@sassycat6536]

We have some sick and evil people living here in the US. It's not unusual to hear or see evidence of animal abuse on a daily basis. It's disgusting. God bless the people of Turkey for their 💖 of the animals.

[@asena8821]

Bebekler ❤

[@moopmeep5094]

Achievement Unlock : Friend with Cats

[@N.P.C.9514]

You may think stray cats are fat here but actually our house cats are even fatter.

[@nurdantaner233]

Canlarimmm😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘

[@thetwelfth9987]

There’s no mice in Istanbul that’s for sure 😂

[@mr.anderson6040]

So cool I wish I could live in Turkey because of this

[@nytoaddis76]

In New York, we have rats.

[@kaanzuvar3778]

❤️

[@ozgur_tan]

we've got lots of pets in our homes and being muslim is not inseparable feature of Turks

[@muratdegerli7970]

Ben hiç hayvan besleyen ateist görmedim

[@ipEacoM]

I like cats 😁 ( n' dogs )

[@juliussezar1550]

did you pay your ransom ?

[@nubevirtual]

😻😻😻😻😻❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@theodoros9428]

Come in Greece , we also love kittens

[@gulgunengin1878]

Go to a country, if the cats are fat enough you are safe, Best test ...

[@Марта-й7е]

Моите котки са обгрижени и щастливи, както и аз с тях. От България.

[@rahmigenis9092]

Great video, thank you

[@davidwillhite421]

Thank you. I enjoyed making it!

[@Integral77777]

There is only one animal Turks do not like, flies&mosquitos! 😂

[@andreeamoon]

🐈💘

[@ormancbas2652]

i must correct a mistake, devout muslims feed cat at their houses too. coz it is free to feed cats at home, but not disallowed to feed dog at home. it is haram but still secular nondevout muslims or atheist people feed dogs too at their own homes in turkey.

[@davidwillhite421]

In the USA, many pets live indoors and sleep on our beds. It's different right?

[@alaindrouin1585]

No more rats in Turkey :)

[@delly41]

i saw twice tiny mouse in front of my cat she had bring and showed to me,i think she has tried to say look what i catch

[@mrmm1110]

fat cats everywhere XD

[@mr.anderson6040]

Just spend all my days giving food to the kitties that would be a perfect life for me

[@mutfaktory374]

"Muslims don't have animals in their homes." That's just not true. I'm not sure where did u hear that from. Certain sects of islam prohibits dog in the house, but never heard anything about islam having any issue with cats in the house. That said, not all the Turks are muslims and not all the muslim Turks believe in the same sect/ruleset. And again, people in Turkey, be it muslim or otherwise, quite commonly own cats in their house. Turkey being a cat heaven and islam has literally zero connection. Cats as species in Turkey are older than islam anyways. And there are bunch of other muslim majority countries that doesnt even come close to Turkey's situation when it comes to cats. That said, hope you enjoyed your stay in Turkey.

[@davidwillhite421]

I was told by a carpet store owner in Istanbul that Muslims aren't allowed to have the cats and dogs indoors, but they still love them and feed them outside, but they "belong to everybody", like community property.. He said Mohammed prohibited anyone from owning a cat. This all seemed self-evident, because none of the Muslim homes I entered had any pets inside. They were VERY concerned with cleanliness and of not bringing ANY dirt into the home. So much so, that when asked to take my shoes off, while standing on a polished stone entryway, I then had to take off my socks because I had allowed my socks to touch the stone, instead of stepping on the door mat. Perhaps they don't allow the animals inside because of this? In America, it is very common - the norm really - for animals to come in and out and even to sleep next to you on your bed. Some people keep the pets off the furniture, and some don't. Some buy pet beds and some allow pets on the couch or bed with them. Most consider the animals to be a member of their family. All the pets in Turkey were out in the streets, and there were none in the houses. It seemed that the animals were all "street animals" that everyone took care of (some had cat food in their car to feed random cats), but nobody really claimed as their personal pet. The pets all seemed homeless, just living out in the street. For example, there were dogs just living in the plaza near the Hagia Sophia, with nowhere to go. Sleeping on the ground. There were all the cats in my video, living in the ruins of Ephesus, with no houses or people living nearby. In America, these animals would be considered "feral" or half-wild. They would sometimes be captured and spayed or neutered and an animal shelter would try to find homes for them.

[@mutfaktory374]

​@@davidwillhite421 I mean you've been to places like Haghia Sophia, Ephesus and a carpet store(in Grand Bazaar I presume), which are all quite common tourist destinations. They are not the best representation of what Turkey is. A regular Turkish person for instance, would never ever go to the carpet store you've been to. Those carpet stores are literally for selling overpriced products to tourists. Do not expect the information from that store owner to be reliable. And then there is this fallacy among the tourist that there is a consensus among the Turkish people about the cats and dogs on the streets. There isn't. It's actually a quite hot debate currently whether the dogs should be allowed on the streets or not. They tend to form packs, they tend to be territorial, especially in the suburbs and less densely populated places. Just a couple of months ago, 2 kids died due to rabies after a dog bit them for instance, which rekindled the controversy regarding the dogs being on the streets or not. Cats are much more commonly accepted and loved, due to them posing little to no threat for humans. They don't form packs, they form colonies around the clean water and food sources but they are solitary animals nonetheless.They get rid of rodents and pests. They are clean and less likely to spread any sort of disease. Still, there are people who are just not content with them on the streets. My point being, your personel experience as a backpacker might not represent what's going on in Turkey when it comes to stray animals. I don't mind by any means that you are trying to perceive the culture of the place you visit and form a consistent mindset about how things work in that particular place. I probably would do the same. I just wanted to drop my POV regarding the matter. Thanks for taking the time to reply btw, wasn't really expecting that. Cheers.

[@Марта-й7е]

Споделям вашето мнение. Любовта към животните не е въпрос на религия. Радвам се, че в Истанбул хората се грижат за своите котки, както в Пловдив, България, ние правим същото. Много ми е хубаво, когато съм във вашата страна!

[@eksheerik]

Yess totally you right in Grand Bazaar many foreing carpet seler owners or foreign workers working. Turkish people not intrest any Turistic carpet store🙃

[@gulgunengin1878]

You Got therapy enough for a year, please pay for it, fresh meat or fish you know, meow....

[@rubenhayk5514]

Cats in Turkey are like women in America - everybody gets to pet them.

[@Марта-й7е]

Котката, както и жената сама решава на кого ще позволи да я гали. И не е въпрос на националност. Поздрав от България

[@cristinavelasco9818]

❤️🥰⭐🌹❤️👏‼️

[@berrinturali3922]

Türk Mitzi Kedilerimiz masum günahsiz yetim yararli Kedilerimiz Bayiliyorum bu sokak hayvanlari kültürümüze vicdanli sevgi saygi dolu Sorumluluk alan insanlarimiza can Dostlarimiza sonsuz minatariz hakkinizi ödeyemeyiz Hayvanlarimizi sevmeyen insanlarida sevmez 🐈🐈‍⬛🧿🐕🐈🐈‍⬛🐈😻Mitzi Kedilerimiz mav mav mav miav miav mavuuuu😊🐈🐈‍⬛😻🧿🐕.