I never thought I’d publish photos of cats. But Istanbul has so many of them, they are everywhere; on the streets, sleeping in grave yards, eating out of garbage bags, lying in a sunny spot at the Hagia Sophia, etc. They became part of our Istanbul experience.

The cat is a revered animal in the Islamic faith, because the prophet Muhammad adored cats.

Someone supplied this little sleepy group of four with milk (süt: milk)

Tourists playing with a cat at the Hagia Sophia Church.

Resting in a side chamber of the Hagia Sophia.

This one clambered out of the trash container when it heard us approaching.

This one tried to get back in when it saw us coming near.

At the Church of the Pammakaristos (Fethiye Camii).

The cat Muezza (or Mu’izza) is said to have been the Prophet Muhammad’s favorite cat.

Thanks to him, cats enjoy a relatively good life in the Muslim world.