Thursday, June 28, 2012


Istanbul's island of Büyükada is known for its ornamental mansions, horse-drawn faytons and abundant fish restaurants.

It's not necessarily known for the hundreds of cats that call Büyükada home, but I couldn't help but take tons of photos of these furry felines yesterday.

The day started out with cloudy skies and patches of drizzly rain, so my desire to lay out on beach was crushed. Instead, my girlfriend and I strolled around the friendly island; or as I like to say "Let's do some gezmek-ing." (Gezmek is the Turkish word for to stroll.)

If you are  lucky enough to get away from the crowds on Büyükada, you suddenly feel like you're transported to a different era far away from the hustle and bustle of Istanbul.

Here's a couple photos of the island's cats that captured my attention. Enjoy!

Please see related photo post: The  Cats of Çukurcuma.

Eavesdropping Cats of  Büyükada.
Smart Cat - waiting by a fish restaurant on  Büyükada.
Chilling Cat
Bucket Cat - all curled up.
Behind Bars Cat
Motorbike Cat
Lap Cat - We found this cat curled up on a local resident's lap.
Flower Cat



Tagged: ,

9 comments:

jaz@octoberfarm said...

great photos of smart cats. i guess if you are a cat and manage to live in an area known for fish restaurants, you are at the top of the cat ladder!

Joy said...

@Joyce, Tabii, I would choose the fish restaurant or by a fisherman! :-)

Erica (Irene) said...

Love the cat pics...when I first went to Turkey I was appalled at all the cats I saw roaming the streets. Same like you coming from NA it was something we don't see here. But then I noticed beside some cafe's the cats were so FAT and some you threw food at and they just walked away. I guess they were full.

Karen said...

What a fun post!

Deniz Bevan said...

Beautiful! I can't help taking photos of Istanbul cats either.
Isn't it fun to add -ing to Turkish words? My family does it all the time :-)

Joy said...

Can't resist the Turkish kitties!

Here's another travel blogger that captured lots of cats in Turkey:
The Cats of Turkey

Cinnamon and Thyme said...

I love cats, have two of them at home :). And I looove these photos, so lovely!

Joy said...

@Cinnamon and Thyme, glad you enjoyed! Thanks for stopping by.

Anonymous said...

Dear Joy, I'm a senior returning student at a community college in Albuquerque, NM. I'm researching Turkey for the term and your website came up looking for info on the 'bostan' gardens. Your blog is very helpful for this Human Geog clas. Thank you! But tonight I just had to say how amazed I am that our cat Cinnamon has a twin in motorbike cat!
nanceinnm