Istanbul is known for many things: it’s the site of the old Byzantine city of Constantinople and, later, the Ottoman empire. It’s home to many famous sites and buildings such as the Hagia Sophia. It’s a popular destination for tourists, ex-pats and digital nomads. On top of all this, it’s famous for its huge cat population.
Though it’s high on my list of places to visit, I haven’t yet gotten to Istanbul, so my knowledge is unfortunately all secondhand. I’ve come across many random videos of cats in the city: on streets, in the metro (often parked on the turnstiles where people enter the system).
Kedi: Cats of an Ancient City is a documentary that explores the ancient relationships between cats and humans in Istanbul. What’s refreshing is that it’s not the usual nature documentary with a narrator bombarding us with hundreds of factoids. To be sure, there’s a place for this kind of programming. However, it’s hard not to feel like you’re back in school being forced to sit through an educational video. Kedi focuses on the actual lives of cats and the people who love and care for them. We do get facts, but they are interwoven into the fabric of daily life.
There’s no complicated narrative here. We see what a big part cats play in the everyday lives of many Istanbul residents. They naturally tend to congregate around markets and restaurants where food is plentiful.
One man describes how taking care of cats helped to cure him of long-term depression. A woman ponders how relating to cats feels like communing with an alien species. Several people emphasize how each cat has its own unique personality.
As heartwarming as it is to see people bonding with animals, it’s not all upbeat. Istanbul, like almost every developed area, is suffering from the common ills of gentrification and over-development, which impacts animals as well as humans. In a city that already has an overpopulation of cats, there are now fewer places for them to live. Towards the end, someone laments how the fast-paced way of life is making everyone less human. Some things are apparently universal.
Kedi: Cats of an Ancient City is must-see viewing for cat lovers. It’s also a less common view of a great city. Unlike the usual travel doc, which focuses on history and tourist attractions, this one takes you into actual neighborhoods and the everyday life of its residents, both human and feline.
I found this documentary on Kanopy, which you can access for free via public libraries and universities. I’m not sure if it’s streaming anywhere else at this time.