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Marcel Heijnen Captures Loving Portraits of Feisty, Feral Felines in ‘City Cats of Istanbul’
In some parts of the world, stray animals are nearly as beloved as pets. Thousands of dogs roam the streets of Cusco, Peru, for example, and cats pretty much rule the night in places like Athens, Valletta, and Japan’s “cat islands.” Local residents often feed and provide shelter for these roving colonies, and for Dutch photographer Marcel Heijnen, this human-animal connection provides endless opportunities to experience urban centers.
Previously exploring cities in China and Hong Kong, where street cats are abundant, Heijnen recently brought his camera to the largest city in Turkey to chronicle some of the most famous feral felines in Europe. A forthcoming book from Thames & Hudson, City Cats of Istanbul,celebrates the area’s local four-legged shop attendants, guardians, cuddlers, and consummate snoozers.
Heijnen captures the spirit of Istanbul through portraits of its residents, shops, homes, and serendipitous interactions. While some images focus on cats up-close, other images emphasize the city’s remarkable atmosphere and playfully invite us to seek out where felines are perched or playing. Many cats are documented in moments of calm repose, while others appear as though they’ve been caught red-handed, climbing up architectural elements or embracing all manner of archetypal kitty chaos.
See more of Heijnen’s photos on his website and Instagram, and pre-order your copy of City Cats of Istanbul on Bookshop. If you’re in Istanbul in September, stop by the release event at 6 p.m. on September 20 at the Cat Museum.
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Saturday's Smiles ...
2 comments:
Loved the photos from Istanbul. The evening we arrived in Istanbul, (One of my favorite cities because of the caring people) we sat planning our days with the hotel manager and a small cat roamed in. For a bit he sat near me watching a house plant. Then he jumped, caught a flying insect and left, apparently quite proud of himself. We as the concierge about it and he told us that there are many cats and dogs that are sort of owned by everyone, and people do feed them and give them water. Such a wonderful and truly human experience that whole trip to Turkey was. Whenever I was faced with a group of steps with no handrail, almost always someone would put a hand under my elbow and say something like: "Oh please let me give you a hand". That's what real humanity looks like. Sadly our current leaders never learned these lessons. Have a great weekend, Jacki.
I do remember your beautiful, actually stunning travel journals that won best of show! What a wonderful life you are having with so many rich experience. sounds like a book is in order? I loved your recent journals with Naseem too.
Thank you, dear friend, for sharing.
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