Photo of a cat sitting beside some railings at Gülhane park in Istanbul.
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10 Photos of Cats in Istanbul

BySarah

I love cats, and so when I heard about the sheer volume of cats in Istanbul I was very excited to visit. Even though I knew beforehand, I was unprepared for just how many cats I would see. Everywhere you turn, there’s another cat. According to the Wikipedia article on the cats, there are over 100,000 stray cats in Istanbul. Stray cats isn’t really the right term though, as all the cats I saw were well fed and cared for. The government even has food vending machines around the city so you can buy food for them. I kept stopping so often to get photos of the cats, so here are just a few of the many, many cats I saw during my short time in Istanbul. Most I saw while wandering around, so if you want to have the best chance of spotting them then make sure to walk as much as you can.

The Cats in Istanbul

Photo of a cat sitting in the middle of a pavement. The cat is quite small with some stripes on the back and face. The expression on the cats face looks like it's telling you that it's not going to move.
This cat was just sitting in the middle of the pavement, expecting people to move around.
Photo of a black cat sticking their head through some railings where another cat is curled up on the wall.
I liked that the black cat seemed to want to say hello to their friend.
Photo of a very fluffy cat standing next to a green tub filled with water. Next to the tub is a pile of dry cat food. The cat is looking directly at the camera. The cat is standing next to what looks like a large pole, on the pavement next to some blister paving marking a crossing point.
This beautiful cat is enjoying some water and food left out in the street for it.
Photo of a cat sitting on a wall behind some railings. The railings are extending downwards towards the wall leaving a gap between them and where the cat is sitting, rather than extending upwards from the wall. Behind the cat is a blurry background of what looks like trees and grass.
This adorable kitty sat and posed for me at Gülhane park.
Photo of a small kitten sitting on a small garden border wall made out of rocks. Behind the wall is a green plant. In front of the wall is some more greenery and on the right is a small orange kitten partially hidden by the greenery.
These two gorgeous kittens were spotted at the Istanbul Handicrafts Centre.
Photo of a cat sitting on the ground. The lighting is quite dim, suggesting it is taken late at night.
This cute wee cat was on the street right next to my hostel.
Photo of a small black kitten standing on a plant pot. To the right is the back of somebody standing and on the left is a stone doorway.
Another cute kitten at the Handicraft Centre.
Photo of a fluffy black and white cat sitting on the ground next to a wooden pallet.
This gorgeous black and white cat was just observing everybody walking past.
Photo of a cat sitting on a wooden bench. Behind the bench is a laundry shop. In front of the cat is the top of some plants.
I spotted this cat on my way back to my hostel after visiting a Hammam.
Photo of a black and white cat sitting on some planks of wood that are lying on top of some rocks. The planks have several long nails pointing upwards.
This cat seems to be guarding the planks. Warning you to be careful of all the nails left in them.

Non-Cat Photos

Photo of a vending machine for dogs and cats in Istanbul. Everything is in Turkish and it has a picture of a dog on it.
Not a cat, but here is one of the vending machines to get food or water for the street animals.
Photo of a dog lying down in the shade on a street.
This dog was enjoying the shade on a very sunny day.

Are you a fan of cats? Have you seen lots of cats in Istanbul? What other cities would you recommend to see lots of cats?

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