Istanbul’s famed cats now have The Cat Museum

Turkish ancient city’s 1st animal-themed museum opened in Besiktas district, brings together cats from the history of fairy tales, toys, games, and comics

Istanbul's famed feline residents now have a special place to call home: the Cat Museum, which is dedicated to the Turkish ancient city’s feline companions.

The city’s first animal-themed museum was opened Wednesday on the occasion of World Animal Day, which is marked on Oct. 4.

The museum, opened by the Besiktas Municipality at the Ciragan Service Building, located on the city's European side, brings together cats from the history of fairy tales, toys, games, and comics.

Sunay Akin, a Turkish poet and author who founded the new museum, said at the opening ceremony that when he visited the Nuremberg Toy Museum in Germany about 30 years ago, he realized that the world of children constitutes the future of humanity.

"We must create generations that pass on the concept of conservation, love of nature, animals, and humans to future generations," said Akin, who also founded the Istanbul Toy Museum.

“With this in mind, we decided to establish the cat museum,” he said.

"Why a cat?" he wondered, but then explained, "Because in the history of civilization, the closest animal to humans has always been the cat."

Pointing out the cat figures at the famed ancient complex of Gobeklitepe, one of the country’s most important archaeological sites, Akin said: “We went after all the cats in the history of fairy tales, games, toys, and comics.”

“This museum you have seen is a first in this sense,” he said. “We want to instill the love of animals into the children's play world.”

He said he has spent 15 years collecting documents and information for the museum.

For the city of Istanbul, cats are undoubtedly a part of life and popular culture. It is not surprising to see people feeding stray cats or placing cushions on sidewalks to help felines sleep comfortably.