Kedi

1
00:01:14,867 --> 00:01:18,329
In Istanbul,
the cat is more than just a cat.

2
00:01:18,579 --> 00:01:23,125
The cat embodies the
indescribable chaos, the culture,

3
00:01:23,375 --> 00:01:26,587
and the uniqueness that
is the essence of Istanbul.

4
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Without the cat,
Istanbul would lose a part of its soul.

5
00:01:33,094 --> 00:01:35,763
And there's nothing like it
anywhere else on earth.

6
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She's a real hunter now.
She wasn't like that before.

7
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She changed after giving birth.

8
00:04:25,099 --> 00:04:29,186
Before that, all she did was sleep.
Chilling here all day.

9
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Sometimes I talk to her.

10
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And she actually talks back.

11
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She's a solid character.

12
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She'll stubbornly stand there.

13
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You'll tell her to leave. She won't. She'll
just stare. "I'm not leaving," she'll say,

14
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"where're you kicking me out to?
I'll be back anyway. "

15
00:05:21,655 --> 00:05:24,366
"What're you trying to do,
wise guy?"

16
00:05:24,616 --> 00:05:27,619
She's really,
you know, strong-willed.

17
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She's got personality.

18
00:05:31,165 --> 00:05:36,712
Some cats really have character,
you can tell from their faces.

19
00:05:48,849 --> 00:05:51,143
I think it's wrong to
trap them in a house...

20
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just so we can pet them.

21
00:05:53,020 --> 00:05:55,522
There are millions of them out there,
we pet them all we want.

22
00:05:56,815 --> 00:06:00,319
What matters is being on
the same frequency as them.

23
00:06:00,569 --> 00:06:02,071
To communicate with them.

24
00:06:02,321 --> 00:06:03,405
Besides, they can tell...

25
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who likes them
and who doesn't.

26
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They notice.

27
00:06:08,786 --> 00:06:10,496
And they give
off good energy.

28
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They absorb all your
negative energy.

29
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We're lucky.
They do me good.

30
00:06:19,588 --> 00:06:21,799
It's that time again.

31
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Time to cruise.
She comes and goes.

32
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She came around one day,
I knew she had been pregnant.

33
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It was obvious she had given birth.

34
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She led me to the back,
to show me her kittens.

35
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It's so fascinating...

36
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they're just like people.

37
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The love of animals is
a different kind of love.

38
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People who don't love animals
can't love people either.

39
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I know that much.

40
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Bengü!

41
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Bengü!

42
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Come.
Come, girl.

43
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She was one of four kittens.

44
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She was the scrawniest one.
And the ugliest.

45
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The other three left,
she stayed.

46
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Sometimes she
makes me angry.

47
00:10:34,801 --> 00:10:36,762
But why?
I've never thought about it.

48
00:10:37,012 --> 00:10:39,723
I guess I must be
in a bad mood.

49
00:10:39,973 --> 00:10:41,558
But I never hit
her or anything.

50
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I tell her to leave but she never does.
She walks to the door and comes back.

51
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Bengü has been with us
eight or nine years.

52
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She came here as a kitten...

53
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and never left.

54
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Bengü loves to be loved.
Honestly.

55
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She loves it when you pet her.
She nearly passes out.

56
00:11:24,685 --> 00:11:28,980
It's not the kind of melodrama
from old Turkish movies...

57
00:11:29,231 --> 00:11:30,857
but I do look for her.

58
00:11:31,108 --> 00:11:33,110
If I don't see her,
or hear her voice...

59
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if she's not around when
I get here in the morning...

60
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I get worried and look for her.
Maybe she is like a child.

61
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People miss their kids, right?
I miss her.

62
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Bengü is very delicate.

63
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If you pet another cat,
she'll get jealous and sulk.

64
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She's very sensitive, Bengü.

65
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That's it, that's the spot.

66
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That's the spot.

67
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She's done for.
And then here.

68
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And here.

69
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Huh?

70
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Look at her delight.

71
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Tch, tch, tch!

72
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You really know how to live.

73
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Bengü has given birth
but I haven't seen where.

74
00:12:32,878 --> 00:12:36,465
Try attacking her kittens and
you'll see another side of her.

75
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I've heard they'd always
keep a cat on board a ship.

76
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To absorb your excess energy.
I know soil does the same thing.

77
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Prayer beads do the trick for me.

78
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This cat is good for me too.

79
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Besides, we've gotten
used to her. She's...

80
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she's become one of us.

81
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Coming and going unconditionally.

82
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And endless conversations too.

83
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THESE CUPS ARE FOR CATS AND DOGS.

84
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IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE DESPERATE
FOR A CUP OF WATER IN THE NEXT LIFE...

85
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DON'T TOUCH THESE CUPS.

86
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They can't just fly
away like birds.

87
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It's our responsibility to take
care of them as best as we can.

88
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It is said that cats are
aware of God's existence...

89
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but that dogs are not.

90
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Dogs think people are God,
but cats don't.

91
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Cats know that people act
as middlemen to God's will.

92
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They're not ungrateful,
they just know better.

93
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Petting a cat gives me a
peculiar sense of security.

94
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Even though we don't speak
each other's language

95
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we immediately form
a shared language.

96
00:15:37,103 --> 00:15:39,731
I imagine having a
relationship with cats

97
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must be a lot like being
friends with aliens.

98
00:15:42,901 --> 00:15:47,197
You make contact with a
very different life form...

99
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open a line of communication
with one another...

100
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and start a dialogue.

101
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And they're very foreign to us,
very different.

102
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Whether physically, mentally,
or in capacity,

103
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they're very different.

104
00:16:18,937 --> 00:16:21,231
Yet, we're able to have
a relationship with them.

105
00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:13,134
Of course I can't take
the place of their mother...

106
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but I do what I can.

107
00:18:23,103 --> 00:18:26,022
I wonder if I should
feed them again.

108
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Alright, alright,
I'm gonna feed you.

109
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When they're full,
they don't make a peep.

110
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They're really hungry.

111
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Someone dumped them
over by the shops.

112
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Relying on me being here.

113
00:18:54,342 --> 00:18:57,053
I had an incident with a cat,
it'll shock you if I tell you.

114
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About fifteen years ago

115
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my boat was docked over there,
it sank in a storm.

116
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I had barely managed to pay for it.
Sold whatever I had.

117
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But got the boat.

118
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I barely use it a week
and the boat sinks.

119
00:19:16,573 --> 00:19:19,117
Then, I'm walking over
by the rocks there...

120
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it's extraordinary what
I'm about to tell you.

121
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I'm walking along, I see this cat,
pointing me to a wallet.

122
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A cat the same color
as this one. No lie.

123
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Exactly that color.

124
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Meow, meow!
I thought, what's up with this cat?

125
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Does it have rabies or something?
I was a bit scared.

126
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So I went to have some tea. But something
kept bothering me to get the wallet.

127
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Even the tea guy
asked if I was OK.

128
00:19:45,351 --> 00:19:47,937
I said, I don't know,
something strange is going on.

129
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I got up, took a look
inside the wallet...

130
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I swear, I needed 120 lira,
and there was 120 lira inside that wallet.

131
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Whoever doesn't believe this
story is a heathen in my books.

132
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Can you imagine?
God Almighty.

133
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What is that if not a godsend?

134
00:20:05,955 --> 00:20:08,041
That's how my love
for animals began.

135
00:20:08,291 --> 00:20:13,004
After I found that wallet,
I started caring for cats.

136
00:20:15,715 --> 00:20:18,259
But taking care of
cats is not easy.

137
00:20:19,761 --> 00:20:23,264
I have to give them milk,
if I'm gonna keep them alive.

138
00:20:23,514 --> 00:20:27,018
These guys are quite big,
they should survive.

139
00:20:27,268 --> 00:20:30,230
But neglect them for a couple of days,
they'd surely die.

140
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They survived in that box
because it's warm in there.

141
00:20:35,360 --> 00:20:38,780
And that chubby one came along,
became a mother to them.

142
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He keeps them warm. I guess
they think he's their mother too.

143
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Both a father and a mother.

144
00:20:45,245 --> 00:20:48,456
He's both a father
and a mother to them.

145
00:20:48,706 --> 00:20:51,292
- You have two children at home, right?
- Yes, I have two.

146
00:20:51,542 --> 00:20:53,670
So you know what it's
like to be a parent.

147
00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:55,546
Oh, it's tough.

148
00:23:51,013 --> 00:23:54,684
Whether we like it or not,
there are mice that live here by the sea.

149
00:23:54,934 --> 00:24:00,106
And because we're people,
we don't give them space to live.

150
00:24:00,356 --> 00:24:03,151
But admittedly,
they are an eyesore...

151
00:24:03,401 --> 00:24:06,320
and it's not good for them to
be around where people eat.

152
00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:14,662
We considered using rat poison,
we'd done so in the past.

153
00:24:14,912 --> 00:24:18,875
But just when we decided to
let the mice die on their own...

154
00:24:19,125 --> 00:24:24,046
this little lion of a cat showed up.

155
00:24:24,297 --> 00:24:29,927
And he takes care of them at night,
as nature dictates.

156
00:25:27,151 --> 00:25:30,530
We don't tell him to hunt mice,
he's assumed it as his duty.

157
00:25:30,780 --> 00:25:34,075
To tell you the truth,
he earns his keep.

158
00:25:34,325 --> 00:25:39,247
You know the saying,
"do justice to one's love"?

159
00:25:39,497 --> 00:25:43,209
That's what he does.
He does justice to the love he gets.

160
00:25:44,126 --> 00:25:45,378
We're grateful to him.

161
00:26:43,436 --> 00:26:45,104
Life is beautiful.

162
00:26:45,354 --> 00:26:47,940
If you know how to live.

163
00:26:48,190 --> 00:26:51,444
You can love if your
heart's eye is open.

164
00:26:54,030 --> 00:26:57,158
Everything is beautiful
when you look at it with love.

165
00:26:57,408 --> 00:27:00,014
If you can enjoy the presence

166
00:27:00,113 --> 00:27:03,963
of a cat, a bird, a flower...

167
00:27:04,332 --> 00:27:08,669
what can I say,
all the world will be yours.

168
00:27:34,654 --> 00:27:37,239
She is the toughest
among all the females.

169
00:27:39,241 --> 00:27:41,285
Trouble for all the fishermen.

170
00:27:42,036 --> 00:27:43,412
A fish thief.

171
00:27:43,663 --> 00:27:46,040
Arch enemy of the dogs.

172
00:27:47,083 --> 00:27:50,378
She'll chase any of them,
including pit bulls.

173
00:27:56,175 --> 00:27:58,844
She is the neighborhood psychopath.

174
00:28:10,189 --> 00:28:12,233
She doesn't like soft love.

175
00:28:14,402 --> 00:28:17,613
She likes tough love.

176
00:28:27,289 --> 00:28:31,919
See, she'll start from
the top of the church

177
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and patrol the whole place.

178
00:28:36,090 --> 00:28:38,426
She's a very interesting animal.

179
00:28:39,677 --> 00:28:42,096
The only thing she'll steal is fish.

180
00:28:42,346 --> 00:28:44,557
She'll stand in front of
the fish vendors over there

181
00:28:44,807 --> 00:28:47,393
refusing to leave even
if they shoo her away.

182
00:28:47,643 --> 00:28:50,813
She won't take anchovies or mackerel either,
she prefers bluefish.

183
00:28:51,063 --> 00:28:54,692
Then she'll make those fishermen
chase her all the way here.

184
00:29:06,454 --> 00:29:08,330
She likes to live a life of luxury.

185
00:29:11,584 --> 00:29:14,628
She even makes her
husband respect her.

186
00:29:15,755 --> 00:29:16,797
She chases him off.

187
00:29:32,271 --> 00:29:34,106
She's leaving so he can eat.

188
00:29:38,569 --> 00:29:42,156
Mm-hmm.
Now, Osman Pasha gets his turn.

189
00:30:16,774 --> 00:30:19,735
She doesn't want to lose
him to anyone else either.

190
00:30:21,070 --> 00:30:26,075
Girls prettier than Psycho
have come around, right?

191
00:30:26,325 --> 00:30:30,412
There's an instinctive jealousy.

192
00:30:45,594 --> 00:30:48,138
She's like a vicious housewife.

193
00:30:48,389 --> 00:30:51,976
A jealous housewife who
doesn't leave her husband alone.

194
00:30:54,812 --> 00:30:56,981
And doesn't let anyone
else near him either.

195
00:31:17,293 --> 00:31:22,047
She comes around when
she wants to be loved.

196
00:31:22,298 --> 00:31:24,508
Gets her fill of love and leaves.

197
00:31:29,263 --> 00:31:30,806
But I can't do as I please.

198
00:31:31,056 --> 00:31:33,058
I grabbed her tail,
she bit my hand.

199
00:31:35,060 --> 00:31:36,937
But she does as she wishes.

200
00:31:37,187 --> 00:31:39,815
That's very important to me.

201
00:31:40,065 --> 00:31:45,404
That she never compromises
her freedom.

202
00:31:48,490 --> 00:31:50,409
She has a fighting spirit.

203
00:31:51,619 --> 00:31:53,203
That's what I like.

204
00:31:54,914 --> 00:31:58,709
She has qualities that
people should have.

205
00:32:24,360 --> 00:32:27,237
Their posture feels
very feminine to me.

206
00:32:27,488 --> 00:32:32,076
I don't see that elegance
in women anymore.

207
00:32:32,326 --> 00:32:35,162
We've lost that,
but cats carry themselves so well.

208
00:32:44,964 --> 00:32:48,884
Especially in this country,
in a city like this...

209
00:32:49,134 --> 00:32:52,471
it's very difficult to be a woman,
to be female.

210
00:32:52,721 --> 00:32:57,393
To express your femininity,
to be defiant with your femininity.

211
00:33:02,314 --> 00:33:04,900
Being female,

212
00:33:05,150 --> 00:33:07,569
and if you're a
"pretty little thing",

213
00:33:07,820 --> 00:33:10,948
you feel like you have
to account for all of it.

214
00:33:28,674 --> 00:33:30,843
When you're alone for
long periods of time

215
00:33:31,093 --> 00:33:34,805
your animal instincts get sharper.
I really believe that.

216
00:33:35,055 --> 00:33:38,600
Maybe it's a quality that ought
to be developed more in all of us.

217
00:33:38,851 --> 00:33:42,312
As if it's better to be so human,
so modern.

218
00:33:42,563 --> 00:33:46,400
There's a power you can feel
within you of a wild creature.

219
00:33:46,650 --> 00:33:49,361
I think everyone needs to
discover that in themselves.

220
00:33:54,199 --> 00:33:55,784
Cats' existence is enough for them.

221
00:33:56,035 --> 00:33:59,204
And they're very sure
of their character.

222
00:33:59,455 --> 00:34:02,332
But it's not enough for us.
We always want more.

223
00:34:02,583 --> 00:34:05,669
That mentality poisons us
and destroys everything.

224
00:34:05,919 --> 00:34:09,631
And maybe in the near future,
in two or three years

225
00:34:09,882 --> 00:34:12,634
we may no longer see
cats on these streets.

226
00:35:44,893 --> 00:35:47,646
They all have personalities,
just like people.

227
00:35:47,896 --> 00:35:49,940
If you look closely,
we're the same.

228
00:35:50,190 --> 00:35:54,027
Some want affection,
others will tell you all their troubles.

229
00:35:54,278 --> 00:35:57,072
Some are discreet,
won't talk about anything.

230
00:35:57,322 --> 00:35:59,366
Others are ambitious.

231
00:35:59,616 --> 00:36:02,911
And some are pompous...

232
00:36:03,162 --> 00:36:07,166
like a lady who can't be
bothered to say hello.

233
00:36:09,960 --> 00:36:11,712
Cats are exactly the same.

234
00:36:11,962 --> 00:36:16,091
Some won't even look
when I call to them.

235
00:36:16,341 --> 00:36:19,595
I believe they share the
same traits as people.

236
00:36:24,224 --> 00:36:25,517
Deniz!

237
00:36:26,977 --> 00:36:28,562
Deniz!

238
00:36:28,812 --> 00:36:30,522
He was a tiny little thing.

239
00:36:30,772 --> 00:36:32,983
He looked down at
me from up there.

240
00:36:33,233 --> 00:36:35,861
We wondered where this beat-up
little guy came from.

241
00:36:36,111 --> 00:36:38,447
I brought him down
from the roof.

242
00:36:38,697 --> 00:36:41,283
Who knows where he came from.

243
00:36:43,660 --> 00:36:46,121
Being a young male,
he attacked us at first.

244
00:36:46,371 --> 00:36:50,012
A couple of months later,

245
00:36:50,122 --> 00:36:54,364
he started approaching
us for food.

246
00:36:54,399 --> 00:36:57,831
Once we could caress him,

247
00:36:57,920 --> 00:37:01,158
he was tamed.

248
00:37:03,764 --> 00:37:07,309
Now he's become
a very friendly cat.

249
00:37:32,876 --> 00:37:34,461
Deniz!

250
00:38:11,456 --> 00:38:14,251
It all changed over
the last five years

251
00:38:14,501 --> 00:38:16,670
when these buildings went up.

252
00:38:18,171 --> 00:38:21,800
It used to be all green here.
There were orchards...

253
00:38:22,050 --> 00:38:27,014
there were gardens
where they'd grow crops.

254
00:38:29,975 --> 00:38:33,312
When these buildings went up,
it all disappeared. No nature left.

255
00:38:55,459 --> 00:38:57,502
Oh my dear.

256
00:38:57,753 --> 00:39:00,213
Look at them,
seven plump kittens!

257
00:39:01,923 --> 00:39:05,344
These kittens... it'll be a shame
if they tear this place down.

258
00:39:05,594 --> 00:39:08,055
Don't know what we'll do.

259
00:39:08,305 --> 00:39:10,974
This will be a major road.

260
00:39:11,224 --> 00:39:13,602
They want to connect
these buildings.

261
00:39:20,942 --> 00:39:24,613
We're more worried about
what'll happen to the cats

262
00:39:24,863 --> 00:39:26,656
than what might happen to us.

263
00:39:26,907 --> 00:39:30,494
If this area gets demolished,
and it's very likely,

264
00:39:30,744 --> 00:39:32,746
they'll be without anyone.

265
00:39:41,755 --> 00:39:43,423
At some point,
they miss the streets.

266
00:39:43,673 --> 00:39:45,842
They can find some earth out here.

267
00:39:46,551 --> 00:39:48,887
To do their business.

268
00:39:49,137 --> 00:39:51,431
It's harder to do that in
a house with cat litter.

269
00:39:51,681 --> 00:39:54,101
But out here they dig it up.

270
00:39:55,102 --> 00:39:56,353
Oh no, where did he come from?

271
00:39:56,603 --> 00:39:59,481
- An older cat got to him in the backyard.
- Oh sweetie...

272
00:39:59,731 --> 00:40:02,943
- I immediately thought of you.
- My, what are we going to do with you?

273
00:40:04,444 --> 00:40:06,196
You poor poor thing.

274
00:40:13,870 --> 00:40:15,580
Is he gone I wonder.
Is he dead?

275
00:40:27,926 --> 00:40:31,638
He must have slammed him against the ground.
Got attacked by a bigger cat.

276
00:40:31,888 --> 00:40:34,266
It's a fact of nature.
It happens.

277
00:41:27,277 --> 00:41:29,029
This one was my first child.

278
00:41:29,279 --> 00:41:32,741
She was special not only
because she was my first

279
00:41:32,991 --> 00:41:35,243
but also because she
had great character.

280
00:41:35,494 --> 00:41:37,204
She died of breast cancer.

281
00:41:39,000 --> 00:41:41,809
I would dress her up to keep

282
00:41:41,858 --> 00:41:44,480
her from licking her wounds.

283
00:41:45,538 --> 00:41:47,714
I tried very hard to find
a cat like her again...

284
00:41:47,964 --> 00:41:52,302
but I came to realize that it was futile,
that she was one of a kind.

285
00:41:53,094 --> 00:41:56,181
My longing for her...
let's just say if there is afterlife,

286
00:41:56,431 --> 00:41:58,934
I want to meet her again,
not my grandmother.

287
00:42:06,900 --> 00:42:09,945
We cook twenty pounds
of chicken every day.

288
00:42:10,195 --> 00:42:12,822
We don't feed them dried cat
food or anything artificial.

289
00:42:28,338 --> 00:42:34,244
My therapist says that I try to heal
my own wounds by healing theirs.

290
00:42:34,594 --> 00:42:38,557
By feeding them and
tending to their needs.

291
00:42:39,599 --> 00:42:44,521
My wounds must be
so deeply rooted...

292
00:42:44,771 --> 00:42:48,817
They still haven't
healed despite all of this.

293
00:42:49,067 --> 00:42:51,778
I guess I'll heal when they heal.

294
00:43:00,328 --> 00:43:03,123
There was a time I had great
difficulty dealing with death.

295
00:43:04,082 --> 00:43:07,544
I accept death as a reality...

296
00:43:08,753 --> 00:43:11,464
but I have difficulty
dealing with the longing.

297
00:43:11,715 --> 00:43:13,675
That's my problem with death.

298
00:43:23,393 --> 00:43:26,187
Now we'll go out to
distribute the morning meal.

299
00:43:26,438 --> 00:43:31,359
This is our daily routine,
seven days a week, including Sundays.

300
00:43:35,113 --> 00:43:37,407
Wait honey, wait.

301
00:43:39,159 --> 00:43:41,036
Come, come my girl.

302
00:43:41,953 --> 00:43:44,247
My little darlings.

303
00:43:49,628 --> 00:43:51,254
Come, I've got your food!

304
00:43:58,136 --> 00:44:03,391
There were sixty but five
died in the last two weeks.

305
00:44:04,142 --> 00:44:05,602
And it's always cancer.

306
00:44:07,020 --> 00:44:10,065
We say it happens to people,
but it happens to animals too.

307
00:44:10,315 --> 00:44:13,276
We eat and drink the same,
same food, same water.

308
00:44:23,328 --> 00:44:25,413
We raised a lot of cats.

309
00:44:25,664 --> 00:44:30,210
Some grew old and died,
quite a few got run over.

310
00:44:30,460 --> 00:44:35,340
We learned that something you
love can one day cease to exist.

311
00:44:35,590 --> 00:44:40,929
We adopted a sense
of stoicism that way.

312
00:44:41,179 --> 00:44:43,848
We had a cat cemetery
in the backyard.

313
00:44:44,099 --> 00:44:47,602
My older brother and I would
bury them with great ceremony.

314
00:44:47,852 --> 00:44:51,439
And because we'd see crosses
in cowboy movies,

315
00:44:51,690 --> 00:44:54,901
like that last scene in The Good,
The Bad and The Ugly,

316
00:44:55,151 --> 00:44:56,695
we thought they
looked impressive.

317
00:44:56,945 --> 00:44:59,906
We're not Christian,
but they look cool in movies

318
00:45:00,156 --> 00:45:04,744
and because we weren't about
to engrave tiny gravestones,

319
00:45:04,994 --> 00:45:07,539
we'd make crosses out of twigs.

320
00:45:07,789 --> 00:45:10,834
Then one day our father saw us
and freaked out over the crosses.

321
00:45:11,084 --> 00:45:12,627
Immediately sent us to Qur'an school.

322
00:45:12,877 --> 00:45:15,672
So that we wouldn't
suddenly turn Christian.

323
00:45:15,922 --> 00:45:18,633
We told him not to worry,
obviously.

324
00:45:19,592 --> 00:45:24,139
If I hadn't met cats,
I would've had a very troubled childhood.

325
00:45:24,389 --> 00:45:27,726
Because interacting only
with people is not enough...

326
00:45:27,976 --> 00:45:30,437
and especially difficult
with grown-ups.

327
00:45:37,444 --> 00:45:41,364
I love cats who hang out in vintage stores,
"hmm the smell of paper"...

328
00:45:41,614 --> 00:45:44,242
stretching out among old LPs.

329
00:45:44,492 --> 00:45:46,494
It's especially satisfying
when I'm sketching...

330
00:45:46,745 --> 00:45:49,205
she sleeps in the drawer
like a vintage store cat.

331
00:45:49,456 --> 00:45:51,458
I check the drawer once in a while,

332
00:45:51,708 --> 00:45:54,377
"OK, she's still sleeping",
and I work on.

333
00:45:54,627 --> 00:45:56,588
Because drawing is
such isolating work,

334
00:45:56,838 --> 00:45:59,632
a sleeping cat can really
give you comfort.

335
00:46:07,140 --> 00:46:10,685
Any ungrateful behavior on their
part is really an act of sincerity.

336
00:46:10,935 --> 00:46:12,979
They don't need to apologize.

337
00:46:13,229 --> 00:46:16,858
I guess there are people
who expect that from a cat.

338
00:46:17,108 --> 00:46:21,279
"I gave you all that food and
you won't even come to my lap. "

339
00:46:21,529 --> 00:46:23,948
A relationship where they
expect a return of investment.

340
00:46:33,833 --> 00:46:38,880
Down the hill used to be a big harbor
during the Ottoman era.

341
00:46:39,130 --> 00:46:43,384
Ships from Norway and elsewhere
would come with cargo.

342
00:46:43,635 --> 00:46:49,098
Sailors would keep cats on
board to fend off mice.

343
00:46:49,349 --> 00:46:51,434
As cargo was being unloaded,
cats would get off the boat,

344
00:46:51,684 --> 00:46:53,603
thinking they've made it to land.

345
00:46:53,853 --> 00:46:56,606
And trek up to the
top of the hill.

346
00:46:56,856 --> 00:47:00,568
Later, they'd miss the boat
and begin life here in Cihangir.

347
00:47:00,819 --> 00:47:02,654
Now there are countless
kinds of cats in this area.

348
00:47:02,904 --> 00:47:07,200
Norwegian cats,
and cats from all over the world.

349
00:47:07,450 --> 00:47:08,910
There's a lot of variety.

350
00:47:13,331 --> 00:47:16,180
Later, the first Ottoman

351
00:47:16,433 --> 00:47:20,639
sewers were built in
this part of the city.

352
00:47:21,573 --> 00:47:24,211
And giant rats would

353
00:47:24,239 --> 00:47:28,552
terrorize residents.

354
00:47:28,972 --> 00:47:32,350
That's why every
house had a cat.

355
00:47:32,600 --> 00:47:35,979
To fend off the giant sewer rats.

356
00:48:25,904 --> 00:48:28,698
His name was "Milkman"
when he first showed up.

357
00:48:28,948 --> 00:48:32,702
He'd come around to
drink milk and leave.

358
00:48:32,952 --> 00:48:37,540
He was barely a year old.
He wasn't neutered.

359
00:48:37,790 --> 00:48:40,126
Then he started showing
up all banged up.

360
00:48:40,376 --> 00:48:43,296
Got into fights with other
males over the ladies.

361
00:48:43,546 --> 00:48:47,091
Got kicked one time,
showed up with a dislocated arm.

362
00:48:48,718 --> 00:48:51,804
Got bit by a dog,
showed up with a hole in his butt.

363
00:48:52,055 --> 00:48:56,476
But it never ruins his mood.
He's always happy.

364
00:48:56,726 --> 00:49:01,648
A neighbor of mine started calling
him carefree, happy-go-lucky.

365
00:49:01,898 --> 00:49:03,942
So the name Gamsiz - carefree - stuck.

366
00:49:07,528 --> 00:49:11,324
Our vet Elif down the road
thinks Gamsiz was in love with her.

367
00:49:11,574 --> 00:49:14,535
'Cause at some point it was a
trip to the vet every two weeks.

368
00:49:14,786 --> 00:49:16,955
Constantly getting in trouble.

369
00:49:17,205 --> 00:49:22,085
He'd have an accident, get hurt,
or develop a fungal infection.

370
00:49:22,335 --> 00:49:26,005
For months, we visited
the vet every two weeks.

371
00:49:26,255 --> 00:49:29,717
Once he spent a whole
winter at the vet.

372
00:49:31,636 --> 00:49:33,262
Doesn't that get expensive?

373
00:49:33,513 --> 00:49:37,725
I guess it does. But we all
have running tabs at the vet.

374
00:49:37,976 --> 00:49:41,062
There's a bunch of us
in the neighborhood.

375
00:49:41,312 --> 00:49:45,441
We have an open tab at
pretty much every vet.

376
00:49:47,652 --> 00:49:51,197
We also collect donations
which help fund these expenses.

377
00:49:53,199 --> 00:49:56,411
Whatever is in our tip box,
goes to the cats.

378
00:50:19,934 --> 00:50:22,687
Gamsiz is a bit of a thug.

379
00:50:22,937 --> 00:50:25,940
He's feisty,
the tough guy of the neighborhood.

380
00:50:31,738 --> 00:50:34,991
But, let's say if you
wanted go out at night,

381
00:50:35,241 --> 00:50:39,871
he's the one you'd
want to go out with.

382
00:50:40,121 --> 00:50:41,873
He's that guy.
He's fun.

383
00:50:53,384 --> 00:50:56,075
There's Laçin across the street.
He really likes her.

384
00:50:56,971 --> 00:51:00,940
She's told me that he comes
to her window

385
00:51:00,975 --> 00:51:04,363
and demands to be let in.

386
00:51:04,398 --> 00:51:09,433
Or he'll go up to the front door
if he wants to enter the building.

387
00:51:09,504 --> 00:51:11,761
She says sometimes
he even spends the night.

388
00:51:12,820 --> 00:51:15,323
When he wants to eat sausages,
he goes to Filiz.

389
00:51:16,449 --> 00:51:18,034
Everyone offers
something different...

390
00:51:18,284 --> 00:51:20,870
but there are also the people
cats choose for themselves.

391
00:51:21,120 --> 00:51:22,663
Gamsiz has a wide range.

392
00:51:22,914 --> 00:51:28,086
I'm the main human in his life...
others are supporting actors.

393
00:51:35,802 --> 00:51:39,423
Because I'm on the first floor,

394
00:51:39,446 --> 00:51:43,170
it's easy for cats to come up here.

395
00:51:43,205 --> 00:51:47,855
Uh, my place has many visitors
but I try not to let them in.

396
00:51:48,106 --> 00:51:49,899
Because I have a cat of my own.

397
00:51:50,149 --> 00:51:53,027
Murat doesn't take
care of just one cat.

398
00:51:53,277 --> 00:51:57,031
He cares for many and
knows all their characters.

399
00:51:57,281 --> 00:52:01,744
I met Gamsiz at the café,
he was lying on the couch.

400
00:52:01,994 --> 00:52:07,250
And when I tried to sit down,
he smacked me. That's how we met.

401
00:52:07,500 --> 00:52:10,294
After that, I smothered him
with love of course.

402
00:52:10,545 --> 00:52:13,256
They take note of that immediately,
you know.

403
00:52:13,506 --> 00:52:19,011
They remember if you
made a connection.

404
00:52:19,262 --> 00:52:22,598
As a result, he came up here.
At first I didn't let him in.

405
00:52:22,849 --> 00:52:26,060
But unlike anyone else,
Gamsiz stands sideways.

406
00:52:26,310 --> 00:52:27,311
Like this.

407
00:52:27,562 --> 00:52:29,188
A single paw in the air.

408
00:52:32,024 --> 00:52:34,819
He seems to be knocking like this.

409
00:52:36,362 --> 00:52:38,030
He's always like that.

410
00:52:38,281 --> 00:52:41,951
Whereas all other cats, including mine,
stand facing forward.

411
00:52:42,201 --> 00:52:46,414
But this guy, whether he comes
up to the front or back window,

412
00:52:46,664 --> 00:52:48,541
always has this sideways stance.

413
00:52:48,791 --> 00:52:51,043
He strikes this charming pose.

414
00:52:51,294 --> 00:52:56,591
And with that paw,
he somehow gets your attention.

415
00:52:56,841 --> 00:53:00,052
Should you ignore him,
he gets even more persistent.

416
00:53:00,303 --> 00:53:04,891
Especially if you're right
where he wants to come in,

417
00:53:05,141 --> 00:53:10,229
he gets really rowdy and
eventually forces you to let him in.

418
00:53:10,479 --> 00:53:13,024
I respect him a lot
because of that.

419
00:53:13,274 --> 00:53:17,486
What's really special about
him is that he's a go-getter.

420
00:53:17,737 --> 00:53:20,281
Once he makes up his mind
about something,

421
00:53:20,531 --> 00:53:23,534
let's say he's decided to come here
and eat Gece's food,

422
00:53:23,784 --> 00:53:26,495
that's his mission for the day,

423
00:53:26,746 --> 00:53:28,372
there's no stopping him.

424
00:53:32,793 --> 00:53:35,129
Come, Gece!

425
00:53:38,174 --> 00:53:41,928
OK, that's enough.
Everybody out.

426
00:53:43,012 --> 00:53:45,640
Tch, tch!

427
00:53:49,894 --> 00:53:53,606
Ginger is new to the neighborhood.
We've only recently started seeing him.

428
00:53:58,486 --> 00:54:02,198
But he's really determined to
take over the neighborhood.

429
00:55:00,047 --> 00:55:03,259
He's fighting over territory.

430
00:55:03,509 --> 00:55:05,052
"My hood".

431
00:55:05,303 --> 00:55:08,931
"I might be new here,
but I'm a cat of strength".

432
00:55:09,181 --> 00:55:10,641
"I'm a cat of quality".

433
00:55:10,891 --> 00:55:14,770
"You'll see, I'll gain control
of this territory".

434
00:55:15,021 --> 00:55:16,981
That's his attitude.

435
00:56:46,445 --> 00:56:49,865
That's what I first
admired about cats...

436
00:56:50,116 --> 00:56:53,702
the way I admired superheroes
like Spiderman or Superman...

437
00:56:53,953 --> 00:56:56,247
I believed cats had
superpowers too.

438
00:56:56,497 --> 00:57:01,293
I never stopped being
in awe of them.

439
00:57:05,673 --> 00:57:10,594
Having nine lives, or being
able to land on all four feet...

440
00:57:10,845 --> 00:57:13,472
If only we could land on all fours.

441
00:57:13,722 --> 00:57:17,893
We land on two and
they snap like twigs.

442
00:58:36,430 --> 00:58:37,848
I had to leave early yesterday.

443
00:58:38,098 --> 00:58:41,560
I was sad I couldn't
bring enough food.

444
00:58:41,810 --> 00:58:47,525
I couldn't eat my dinner
with a clear conscience.

445
00:58:47,775 --> 00:58:50,277
It's overwhelming when I
think of them back there.

446
00:58:51,862 --> 00:58:55,324
I have a lot of friends
who know what I do here...

447
00:58:55,574 --> 00:58:57,368
but they don't understand
why I take it upon myself.

448
00:58:57,618 --> 00:59:00,788
They think God will
provide for them.

449
00:59:01,038 --> 00:59:03,791
I say sure,
but I'm the middleman.

450
00:59:04,041 --> 00:59:06,627
Besides, it's better than spending
my time at the café.

451
00:59:51,422 --> 00:59:53,465
Even though he's young,
he prefers fish.

452
00:59:53,716 --> 00:59:56,719
One of them has
an eye infection.

453
00:59:59,179 --> 01:00:03,475
So I have to give
him antibiotic drops.

454
01:00:03,726 --> 01:00:06,186
Picked up a few things
after so many trips to the vet.

455
01:00:19,658 --> 01:00:21,076
I know all of them.

456
01:00:21,327 --> 01:00:25,748
I know this one's mother,
her aunts, all five generations.

457
01:00:25,998 --> 01:00:27,541
I remember all her
family members.

458
01:00:29,627 --> 01:00:32,463
The one that just gave birth...

459
01:00:32,713 --> 01:00:35,591
she's this one's little sister.

460
01:00:36,925 --> 01:00:40,304
During winter, they find
shelter under those rocks.

461
01:00:40,554 --> 01:00:45,142
They stay alive with
the warmth of the sea.

462
01:00:45,392 --> 01:00:47,811
Other than that,
they don't have a home.

463
01:00:52,191 --> 01:00:56,236
There's one missing here.
The one that just gave birth.

464
01:00:56,487 --> 01:00:58,572
Let's see if she'll
come when I call.

465
01:01:17,299 --> 01:01:19,635
I had a nervous breakdown in 2002.

466
01:01:19,885 --> 01:01:22,179
That's when I got
more involved with cats.

467
01:01:24,640 --> 01:01:26,475
Doing this cured me.

468
01:01:32,773 --> 01:01:36,110
I was really caught up,
I was really lost.

469
01:01:36,360 --> 01:01:39,613
This truly is therapy.

470
01:01:39,863 --> 01:01:43,075
Now I'm really happy, honestly.
Thanks to them.

471
01:01:43,325 --> 01:01:45,869
I wouldn't be otherwise.
No drug was able to save me.

472
01:01:49,915 --> 01:01:53,043
They're all waiting for me here.
Their feeding time is near.

473
01:01:54,336 --> 01:01:57,131
I believe I got healthy again
by taking care of them.

474
01:01:57,381 --> 01:02:00,384
Before, I couldn't talk or laugh.

475
01:02:01,051 --> 01:02:04,096
But now...

476
01:02:04,346 --> 01:02:07,015
let's just say they make
you fall in love again.

477
01:04:03,882 --> 01:04:07,052
Just as you notice the cat,
the cat notices you.

478
01:04:07,302 --> 01:04:09,263
It's very mutual.

479
01:04:09,513 --> 01:04:12,975
I think that mesmerizes me a little.
That it's so reciprocal.

480
01:04:13,767 --> 01:04:15,269
It's like a mirror.

481
01:06:25,774 --> 01:06:28,110
Duman - Smokey -
has been with us for two years.

482
01:06:29,361 --> 01:06:31,530
My guess is that he was
kicked out of some place.

483
01:06:32,489 --> 01:06:34,741
'Cause the first night
he showed up,

484
01:06:34,992 --> 01:06:37,077
I witnessed him coming
down the street,

485
01:06:37,327 --> 01:06:39,496
he was complaining very loudly.

486
01:06:56,430 --> 01:06:59,141
He won't let himself
be pet like other cats.

487
01:07:00,308 --> 01:07:03,270
He never harasses our
customers for food.

488
01:07:03,520 --> 01:07:07,065
In time, I came to realize that he
was different than other cats.

489
01:07:07,315 --> 01:07:09,568
He's a cat with manners.

490
01:07:09,818 --> 01:07:13,030
No matter how hungry he is,
he won't come in, even if the door is open.

491
01:07:15,115 --> 01:07:19,286
He lets us know he's hungry
by pawing at the window.

492
01:07:20,203 --> 01:07:21,830
He's a bit of a glutton.

493
01:07:25,167 --> 01:07:30,380
He knows that his favorite
food is back here

494
01:07:30,630 --> 01:07:36,620
so he gets excited
every time he sees us here.

495
01:07:40,557 --> 01:07:43,226
He was quite overweight... nearly twelve
pounds when he first showed up.

496
01:07:43,477 --> 01:07:47,731
As our vet also recommended,
we decided to put him on a diet.

497
01:07:47,981 --> 01:07:51,610
We fed him less and less food...
or only smoked meats.

498
01:07:55,030 --> 01:07:58,533
We give him some Manchego
or a softer cheese like Emmental.

499
01:07:58,784 --> 01:08:02,162
A little bit of smoked turkey.

500
01:08:02,412 --> 01:08:07,042
Of course, he can also be
very picky about the meat he eats.

501
01:08:07,292 --> 01:08:11,254
He used to love roast beef,
but now, he only wants turkey.

502
01:08:36,696 --> 01:08:38,490
I'd say he's quite happy.

503
01:08:38,740 --> 01:08:42,119
He does get around a lot, though.

504
01:08:42,369 --> 01:08:45,705
But he never hangs
out with other cats.

505
01:08:45,956 --> 01:08:48,500
He's always alone.
Always alone.

506
01:08:48,750 --> 01:08:52,504
There have been times we've
gotten him out of dumpsters too.

507
01:08:52,754 --> 01:08:55,882
Beneath that aristocratic appearance,
there is still a street kid.

508
01:09:37,299 --> 01:09:41,011
In a way, street animals
are our cultural symbol.

509
01:09:41,261 --> 01:09:46,183
Istanbul and cats... So many cats
roaming the streets of a city.

510
01:09:46,433 --> 01:09:49,186
They've become a distinct
trait of Istanbul.

511
01:09:55,066 --> 01:09:57,444
Streets seem empty
to me without cats...

512
01:09:58,403 --> 01:10:01,114
but it is a strange situation.

513
01:10:01,364 --> 01:10:03,867
It's a total dilemma if you ask me.

514
01:10:05,035 --> 01:10:07,913
The city no longer
accommodates them.

515
01:10:08,163 --> 01:10:10,582
But at home,
and I know from my own cats,

516
01:10:10,832 --> 01:10:13,168
they forget their cat-ness
after a while.

517
01:10:25,680 --> 01:10:31,019
Our concerns for street animals
and our concerns for people

518
01:10:31,269 --> 01:10:33,897
are completely related
to one another.

519
01:10:35,440 --> 01:10:40,862
If you ask me, the troubles street
cats or other street animals face

520
01:10:41,112 --> 01:10:43,365
are not independent from
the troubles we all face.

521
01:10:50,038 --> 01:10:53,750
It would be easy to see
street cats as a problem

522
01:10:54,000 --> 01:10:56,878
and handle them as a problem.

523
01:10:58,421 --> 01:11:02,842
Whereas if we can learn
to live together again,

524
01:11:03,093 --> 01:11:07,973
maybe we'll solve our own problems
as we try to solve theirs.

525
01:11:08,223 --> 01:11:13,311
In fact, I'm sure that we would even
regain our fading sense of humor

526
01:11:13,561 --> 01:11:18,316
and rekindle our
slowly dying joy for life.

527
01:12:47,405 --> 01:12:50,450
See how he comes to me?
Isn't it amazing?

528
01:12:50,700 --> 01:12:52,202
I thank God.

529
01:12:53,411 --> 01:12:56,331
Isn't that right, Bombis?

530
01:12:57,916 --> 01:12:59,751
My love! Right, Bombis?

531
01:13:09,302 --> 01:13:13,515
God says, "I test people".

532
01:13:15,058 --> 01:13:17,614
God brings us closer to him...

533
01:13:17,665 --> 01:13:21,898
in different ways.

534
01:13:21,933 --> 01:13:25,318
For me, it was these animals.

535
01:13:26,903 --> 01:13:29,155
I guess I was worthy of his love.

536
01:15:36,699 --> 01:15:40,870
A cat meowing at your feet,
looking up at you

537
01:15:41,120 --> 01:15:43,706
is life smiling at you.

538
01:15:44,749 --> 01:15:47,252
Those are moments
when we're lucky...

539
01:15:47,502 --> 01:15:50,838
they remind us that
we're alive.