KEDI - a.k.a. Nine Lives - Cats in Istanbul
January 17, 2017 9:08 AM Subscribe
“Dogs think people are God, but cats don’t. Cats know that people act as middlemen to God’s will. They’re not ungrateful. They just know better.” Film maker Ceyda Torun and cinematographer Charlie Wupperman have finished their documentary about Istanbul's cats. Coming soon to a city near you. (The movie, not the cats.)
Then there is Tombili, commemorated in bronze and even in death treated with affection and respect. Tea, kibble, worry beads – Hodge never had it so good
(Previously)
Then there is Tombili, commemorated in bronze and even in death treated with affection and respect. Tea, kibble, worry beads – Hodge never had it so good
(Previously)
My BF's cat knows what people are: mere attachments to her cat brush.
posted by sexyrobot at 9:48 AM on January 17, 2017
posted by sexyrobot at 9:48 AM on January 17, 2017
Istanbul cats are amazing.
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 10:14 AM on January 17, 2017
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 10:14 AM on January 17, 2017
I wonder what time of year that was filmed. Beautiful light.
posted by My Dad at 11:36 AM on January 17, 2017
posted by My Dad at 11:36 AM on January 17, 2017
So, dogs are Protestant, cats are Catholic?
posted by klangklangston at 11:47 AM on January 17, 2017
posted by klangklangston at 11:47 AM on January 17, 2017
A screening would make an amazing meetup. No screenings scheduled for here, unfortunately. We're hoping to visit Boston and/or Chicago soon, though, so maybe there.
posted by amtho at 12:13 PM on January 17, 2017
posted by amtho at 12:13 PM on January 17, 2017
Dogs are (debatably) harām, cats are definitely halaal.
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:14 PM on January 17, 2017
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:14 PM on January 17, 2017
Coming soon to a city near you. (The movie, not the cats.)
My allergies thank you.
posted by Splunge at 12:25 PM on January 17, 2017
My allergies thank you.
posted by Splunge at 12:25 PM on January 17, 2017
I'm here for this documentary. After my FIRST visit to Istanbul (we have been several times now), I started packing a whole suitcase layer of bagged cat treats each time we'd go. I'd take a fresh bag every day and make certain to hand out treats to kitties all. day. long. We couldn't be done for the day until I was out of cat treats.
posted by ersatzkat at 1:11 PM on January 17, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by ersatzkat at 1:11 PM on January 17, 2017 [14 favorites]
Oh I saw this a few weeks back and it is a delight. Vicariously travel to Istanbul too. Lovely and cute, charming and sometimes worrisome. But ultimately so hopeful for life and love. Try to see it!
posted by dog food sugar at 1:21 PM on January 17, 2017
posted by dog food sugar at 1:21 PM on January 17, 2017
I saw this at a festival last year. On the one hand, it was a delightful movie, filled with beautiful cats and affectionate people and lively street scenes. On the other, there was no mention of trapping and spaying/neutering the multiplying stray cats! Unless I missed it due to cat-induced mushy brain...always a possibility.
posted by esoterrica at 2:53 PM on January 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by esoterrica at 2:53 PM on January 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
I saw this at Seattle Int'l Film Festival last year; it's very pleasant to watch and I say that as a dog person. The filmmakers were there and talked about how they spent a lot of time stooped over, chasing cats with a camera. It didn't win any SIFF awards, but it was considered an audience favorite enough to get additional showings following the end of the festival.
It focuses on about... I dunno, around 9-10 people whose lives were changed by the cats; some were rescued, some were healed, others were willingly burdened. It's as much a human story as a feline one.
posted by Sunburnt at 3:54 PM on January 17, 2017
It focuses on about... I dunno, around 9-10 people whose lives were changed by the cats; some were rescued, some were healed, others were willingly burdened. It's as much a human story as a feline one.
posted by Sunburnt at 3:54 PM on January 17, 2017
One of my favourite things in Istanbul were the cats. We went on a long walk along part of the wall, and one black and white fellow followed us for ages.
posted by kjs4 at 5:10 PM on January 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by kjs4 at 5:10 PM on January 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
OKguysniceknowingyouallI'mgoingtoIstanbulrightnowbye
posted by happyroach at 10:49 PM on January 17, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by happyroach at 10:49 PM on January 17, 2017 [3 favorites]
Yes. Good kitties.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 12:42 AM on January 18, 2017
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 12:42 AM on January 18, 2017
How many other cities have cats as a presence in the streets? When my partner and I visited Ronda in Spain in November, we noticed several feral cats wandering here and there and occasionally taking in the sun. (I also saw one in Málaga, though they weren't as prevalent there.)
I assume that there are feral or stray cats in most cities, but I don't recall seeing them out and about so noticeably.
posted by tallmiddleagedgeek at 10:38 AM on January 18, 2017
I assume that there are feral or stray cats in most cities, but I don't recall seeing them out and about so noticeably.
posted by tallmiddleagedgeek at 10:38 AM on January 18, 2017
How many other cities have cats as a presence in the streets?
Athens and Rome, for starters: imperial capitals.
posted by holgate at 6:19 PM on January 18, 2017
Athens and Rome, for starters: imperial capitals.
posted by holgate at 6:19 PM on January 18, 2017
The reason I say "imperial capitals" is that Istanbul's cats are (however historically accurate this is) treated as representatives of a long-standing model of how humans and cats have coexisted in urban settings. (MeFi's ownish Paul Ford on kitty litter may be relevant here.) So talking about trap/spay/neuter is understandable, but it's a parallel settlement to the one in Istanbul. People live their lives; cats live their own lives around people; the distance between them changes based upon their interactions.
[I write this with an old indoor cat at my side, purring insistently.]
posted by holgate at 11:14 PM on January 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
[I write this with an old indoor cat at my side, purring insistently.]
posted by holgate at 11:14 PM on January 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
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posted by thecjm at 9:19 AM on January 17, 2017 [1 favorite]