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The city of Istanbul is facing a stray cats problem. Thankfully, they are working their hardest to help the struggling felines find homes! Recently, volunteers organized specialized houses for these furry friends!
Istanbul’s Cat Problem
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Over 15 million people live in Istanbul, Turkey, with many more arriving every year. Plus, it has a thriving tourism industry! Amid the hustle and bustle of the city, many stray cats are looking for food, water, shelter, and, of course, love. While it’s common to see older folk feeding the feelings in the park, not many take the stray cats in. As you might imagine, they can become quite desperate during days and nights with harsh weather. So, a group of volunteers decided to help stray cats throughout the city.
It all started back in 2008, when interior architect Didem Gokgoz passed a park in Sisli on her way to work. There, she found many strays trying to stay warm during the winter. Wondering what she could do to help, Gokgoz started putting boxes out for them to live in – but officials removed the boxes. That’s right! Why? Well, lawmakers deemed these boxes as “eyesores” in Mistik Park. Wanting to do something more permanent, Gokgoz started working with other cat-friendly citizens.
Soon enough, Gokgoz and her team created a plan to build proper shelters for the cats. When they finished the plan, Gokgoz even invited the mayor to take a look at the shelters. A little bit of rain even helped show how helpful the new shelters were! “There were three of us in the pouring rain: Me, my lawyer friend, and Mr. Mustafa Sarigul [then the Sisli mayor],” Gokgoz reported to Tol, a solutions-focused journalism outlet in Istanbul. “We showed him our designs, explained how it would work and everything. Mr. Sarigul listened carefully and said, ‘OK, do it; if we think it works, we will support it.'”
Now, the shelters have exploded in popularity!
Building Cat Houses For Strays
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Gokgoz’s plans truly grew in popularity when Cat, a 2016 documentary, showed the extent of Istanbul’s 125,000 stray cats problem. The film struck a chord with people all around the globe. Now Gokgoz and her team run the nonprofit cat home supplier Podo, which sets up cat shelters throughout Istanbul. After Mr. Sarigul reassured them that the homes wouldn’t be removed, they put two of them in Mistik Park. Full of color and style, they instantly grabbed the attention of locals and city outlets! As of this writing, parks in 39 districts in the city will eventually receive a cat shelter!
Meanwhile, around the world, others have asked for Gokgoz’s design, including universities, cafes, and even the Industrial Development Bank of Turkey. “It became something normal; individuals make requests for cat houses,” she said. “That was our main goal, and we’ve reached it. Today, everybody accepts that cats must have their own life spaces in the city.” Now, the cats are loving their proper homes, where volunteers can check on them and give them toys, food, and medical help.
What a fantastic way to deal with a heart-wrenching problem!
