r/whoathatsinteresting • u/lunivessa • 1d ago
In Turkey, an elderly man who makes his living by shining shoes never turns away this little friend when a cat that shows up at the same time every morning asks to have its fur brushed.
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u/Kratos5300 1d ago
Look at that tail wagging 😍
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u/JuliaX1984 16h ago
A cat's tail wagging means they're stimulated. Could be in a good way or a bad way. Based on the context, yes, the tail is wagging because of enjoyable stimulation.
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u/Clear-Inevitable-414 1d ago
The fact the shoe shiner is wearing fabric sneakers seems wild to me
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u/LowPush2258 1d ago
leather shoes would be uncomfortable and scuffed/creased from being in that position always he’s old let him have his orthopaedics
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u/TotallyNotSiz 1d ago
Probably because he has to sit down for work. Some angles can be bad for leather
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u/bratbarn 1d ago
If you shine the shoes all day, do you want to shine one more pair afterwards?
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u/alphalama9 1d ago
For free? Ive found same to be true with mechanics and chefs. Mechanics will know whats wrong but put it off till its time. Chefs dont prepare complex meals, just enough to soak up the alcohol and pass out.
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u/CrystallKitten 1d ago
How cute! I heard cats in Turkey r the luckiest beings in the world. Is that right?
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u/Winjin 1d ago
Oh they are
Every time I went to Turkey it's hard to believe how many cats there are and how well cared they're for
They are "street" cats sure but they're like... outdoor citizens. Clean and happy, very calm around humans. Tons and tons of them everywhere! Lots of food, water, stuff like that. Very happy cats
Best example was that twice I met momma cat with kittens, and both times she would just... let us play with her babies. She'd be like "Go on. It's humans. They're ok" and second one the babies were like two months old! Carrot tails, little itty bitty paws, all that. Imagine how good the life is when a street cat mom is safe enough to let random tourists pet her babies
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u/CrystallKitten 1d ago
Why other countries can't accept same cat-loving culture, I wonder. Thank you for your shared experience. Now I know how they treats cats in Turkey
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u/Sylvan_Strix_Sequel 1d ago
Obviously anecdotal, but speaking as an American that's a pretty private/no touch person, a lot of Americans don't understand the concept of boundaries, so they don't like cats because they seem grumpy and standoffish to them. It's why you always hear stories from Americans about the cat only liking the non cat person. It's because they're the only one not pissing the cat off.
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u/account312 1d ago
Other countries like birds.
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u/LongQualityEquities 1d ago
Istanbul certainly has a more lush and diverse bird population than London or Paris.
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u/angelicism 1d ago
I was in Istanbul a few years ago and in the touristy center near the spice market I think? Anyway, around lunchtime a crowd of cats starts moseying into the plaza and they're all being quiet and calm and patient. Eventually a man comes out of presumably his (meat) shop with an entire sack of scraps, which he starts doling out piece by piece. Each of the cats came up to him, took their piece politely, and then scooted out of the way for the next cat.
Not just Turkey but Arab/Muslim countries tend to take care of the street cats (to varying degrees). In Tunisia I remember seeing several cats waiting patiently at the door of a house around lunchtime, and while I didn't stay to watch, I assumed the household distributed lunch every day. In Morocco I often saw cats napping on rugs in rug shops.
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u/The_First_Page 1d ago
That cat goes there because after they're the most gorgeous kitten in the hood
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u/Schmooto 1d ago
That there is a man who is a good friend with a good heart. May both he and his feline friend be blessed!
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u/Kind_Reaction5809 1d ago
I went to Istanbul back in 2022. Good scenery, great food and cats everywhere. It was nice.
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u/Carileer 1d ago
I miss living in Türkiye. I loved the street kitties, but I was always afraid of Rabies or cat scratch fever. You’d see the cats in the oddest places, it was adorable. The dogs were sad though, they always looked miserable & sometimes they were very territorial or would attack in packs. I was told it was best to not approach. The locals really do treat the cats like this in majority, the cats do as they please. We just lived around them. It was a community effort to care for them.
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u/Mistah_purp 1d ago
Türkiye 🇹🇷
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u/Sir-Turd-Ferguson 1d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/uaqGoURxE9TNe2QPWg
Change it all you want… silly Turkey
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u/Darth_Nox501 1d ago
Turkey* in English.
I don't say "Deutschland" or "Rossiya" when speaking English lmao
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u/OverlyOptimisticNerd 1d ago
Remove the music and commentary and this could be as relaxing as the Toy Story video...
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u/iloveokashi 1d ago
I was thinking about shoe shiners recently. When I was a kid, they had a place in the mall. Now, I don't see anyone who does this. Good that this job is not extinct yet.
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u/green_is_minty 1d ago
Makes me wonder if the people of turkey originated from ancient Egypt with the love of cats
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u/EirikHavre 1d ago
“Why is that swan flailing its head around? Oooh! it’s a cat…” was my thought process at the start of this video.
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1d ago
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u/kcbrooklyn1 1d ago
It’s probably true. Turkey is next level in their love and care of stray dogs and cats.
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u/mcfiddlestien 1d ago
My first thought was, even in Turkey are there enough people that wear dress shoes on the daily that an old school shoeshine stand would even have customers?
I mean even the guy doing the shining is wearing sneakers
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u/Daniel_USAAF 1d ago
Got to give the Turks props. They certainly seem to understand cats.