Are Cats in Istanbul Vaccinated?
The short and honest answer is no, most cats you see on the streets of Istanbul are not vaccinated.
Category Cats of Istanbul
Our First Hike with Zeytin the Rescue Dog in Belgrad Forest
In late 2025, our sanctuary welcomed a new soul: Zeytin (which means Olive in English), a young pit bull whose life was almost cut short before it had a real chance to begin. Her story did not start with cruelty…
Golden November Walks in Istanbul’s Belgrad Forest with Rescue Cats and Dogs
In April 2025, I wrote about Lady, a gentle dog my father had been caring for since 2016. When she was about to be taken away by the municipal teams in Silivri, my brother and I rushed to rescue her…
Road Cycling in Istanbul
Previously, I wrote an article titled “Road Cycling in Istanbul” for the website Cycling Passion. The article was predominantly in a Q&A format. Now, for 2025, I wanted to revisit and expand on that article. A lot has changed in…
A Hike in the Belgrad Forest with Lady the Rescue Dog and Cats
The first cool winds of autumn have begun to move through the Belgrad Forest of Istanbul. The air is crisp, but the sunlight still carries the last warmth of summer – that golden, mellow light that filters gently through the…
Do Cats in Turkey Have Rabies? What You Need To Know
Rabies is a vaccine-preventable, zoonotic viral disease that affects the central nervous system. It is one of the oldest known infectious diseases, almost always fatal once symptoms appear, but entirely preventable through timely vaccination.
Lady of the Belgrad Forest: A Rescue Dog’s Springtime Walks [Part 2, May]
When we brought Lady from Silivri to Bahçeköy last month, it felt like we were giving her a second chance at life. She had narrowly escaped a tragic fate after a neighbor reported her to the municipality. For a gentle…
Lady of the Belgrad Forest: A Rescue Dog’s Springtime Walks [Part 1, April]
Lady was a stray dog my father had been taking care of since 2016. He had built a kennel for her in the garden of his house in Silivri. Lady would spend the nights in that kennel and roam the…
Rescuing Istanbul’s Strays: How I Care for 100+ Animals [A Story Featured in Newsweek]
For nearly a decade, I have been dedicated to rescuing, feeding, and providing medical care to stray cats and dogs in Bahçeköy, Istanbul. My efforts began in 2015 after I unknowingly rescued a pregnant stray cat who frequently visited my…
Is It Safe to Pet Stray Cats in Istanbul? What You Need to Know
Visitors to Istanbul immediately notice that the city is a ‘city of cats.’ But is it safe to pet stray cats in Istanbul? What kind of health risks does interacting with these adorable friends pose? As someone who has spent…
What Makes Istanbul a City People Never Want to Leave?
There’s something I’ve observed in people living in Istanbul (and many others have observed it too): once someone settles in this city, they either can’t leave or find it very difficult to leave and even if they do, after some…
Istanbul Cats: The Complex Reality of Life on the Streets
Istanbul has become famous worldwide as the “city of cats” in recent years. And it’s true; there are hundreds of thousands* of stray cats in Istanbul, and many of them live better, are better fed, and even receive healthcare at…