Cats and Dogs

 Istanbul we learned is nicknamed Cat-stanbul. Everywhere you go, even inside fancy museums, mosques,  restaurants and shops, you find free-range cats. They are revered in the Muslim culture in part because they are viewed as very clean animals. 


One legend is that the prophet Muhammad found a cat sleeping on his clothes. Instead of waking up the precious cat, the prophet  chose to cut off the sleeve of his coat so he didn't disturbe the cat. Another myth says that Muhammad's favorite traveling companion always carried a cat in bag and the cat reportedly saved Muhammed from being bitten by a snake. 






True or not, cats were everywhere


Here in Skopje, its gone to the dogs... Every sidewalk and parking lot is the crash pad for stray dogs. 

The cause of the thousands of strays is apparently the former owners who when theyare no longer able to care for their dogs, just let them loose. We have been warned not to pet them or feed them, but I see folks feeding them all the time. And there have been reports of the dogs chasing or turning on people. But we have only encountered sleepy or friendly canines. Thankfully, the city tags the ear of each dog after they've been given a rabies vaccine. So far so good. Stay tuned!










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