Over the past few days a video has gone viral (link to the video at the end of this story), showing up on newsfeed on my various social media more than a few times. That video is the latest kitty internet sensation – Taksim Metro Cat. A cat that gives no shits about you… or you… or even you!
Anyone who has ever visited Istanbul (or Turkey for that matter) knows how much Turkish people just love their kediler. They are everywhere and they are treated with a lot of love and respect despite the fact that they can go from zero to grade A jerks in a heartbeat. One of the most famous Türk kedileri is the Hagia Sophia Kedi, a little cross-eyed tabby who is so beloved that he has fan sites where people can upload photos of him. Now there is another famous kedi here in Turkey. Introducing Taksim Metro Cat and I had the great pleasure of bumping into her a few times during my week in Istanbul.
She favours two spots. Both of them extremely inconvenient for the commuter as they are both on upward riding escalators. Our first encounter was as we stopped to visit the Republic Monument at Taksim Square. There she was, this pretty little calico chilling by the Metro exit, just as she was in that video. People dodged her as she lay stretched out giving silent, judgmental stares to those who nearly tripped over her. At first, I was worried that she would be trampled but, again as you see in the video, she is totally relaxed and loving the chaos she was causing.
The next time we crossed paths she was inside, again chilling on the upward riding escalator but at least indoors (it was the one day it snowed for a full minute while we were there). Taksim Metro Cat knew the weather outside was frightful and was very content to sit and be petted as we passed.
The final time we saw Taksim Metro Cat she was doing the lazy cat equivalent of hunting. You know how they go. They make a little effort, they do the crazy cry, and then they roll over and let the pigeon continue on its way, oblivious to its close demise.
For those of you who are concerned about her welfare, she is one very happy little cat. A stray animal here in Turkey is not the same as a stray anywhere else. Here they are loved. Taksim Metro Cat is very well looked after. Her fur is soft and clean. Her eyes are bright. She is quite a tubby girl and I’m pretty sure she has been desexed as her ear was clipped. On researching Taksim Metro Cat I found there are lots of people who feed her and many photos of her chilling out welcoming the commuters and tourists each day and even you guys are adding photos of her on my FB page. Okay, maybe she’s not welcoming, rather she is just making a kitty nuisance of herself and having kitty fun tripping unsuspecting people up as they pass. Why does she love the escalator so much? I’m guessing that grate is warm from the engine underneath. She is quite content.
This is one cool cat people and if any of you happen to be visiting Istanbul go up and introduce yourself. She might ignore you but at least you can say you had a brush with fame while on your travels!
And today Taksim Metro Cat got her very own report on Anadolu Kedisi. Click on the link and see all the fabulous photos and the actual video at the bottom. Like me you will no doubt laugh at the reaction of the woman in the pink joggers “Bu kadar?” Hahaha!
Have you seen the Turkish documentary “Kedi”? If not, you should grab a copy today –
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