Hi. I have just read this thread and feel compelled to post a comment in response. I must say, I am scared by the comments of some people who seem oblivious to the plight and challenge of the animals in Calis. I can understand the concern. The approach to animal welfare there is very different from where most of us come from. It can be overwhelming. It was overwhelming to me. But I am here to plead for the cause of the animals. Actually, I am one of the people who started caring for the cats in the very area discussed in this thread, near the Kaan Hotel. Many of them showed up on my doorstep, starving and ill or badly injured. We had never intended to have more than two cats, but we could not ignore the imploring, needy faces of these innocent creatures, born through no fault of their own, and merely doing the best they could to survive. It is what all beings must do somehow. Some of us are just luckier, through circumstance, than others. Through nurturing and love, the cats healed and became part of our family, accidentally at first, it seemed. Each one was neutered or spayed, most often at my own expense (until Animal Aid kindly allowed me to use their funds to continue the work). All the feeding and most of the medical care was at my own expense, and I do not reget one single kurus spent on these guys. Sadly, very sadly, several of them did die, despite our best efforts, each by some unfortunate circumstance. For instance, when Sammy was hit by a car and needed to be "put down" because his body had been destroyed AND taken over by blowflies, my husband and I sobbed on the vet's floor. That was a case where, yes, euthanasia was a blessing. That cat was a beautiful, loving, funny, energetic being. His absence, and the absence of every single cat we lost, still haunts me. Some of you may grunt in disapproval or say that our commitment to these "pests" is merely making up for some other sad lack in our lives, and that is certainly your prerogative to think in such a way. Though I would counter that there IS no other way but showing kindness to our fellow beings. Those cats, and some street dogs, too, saved us. They showed us that there IS a connection between humans and other species. There IS love and acceptance if only one allows it to happen. What could be a better outcome than that, I ask you? By the way, in case you think we just collected cats for fun, I tried for years to get other people to help out, or to adopt each new kitten or stray that came along. My appeals were completely ignored except that I did get homes for two kittens at last. I understand that most people are in Calis to live "the good life." I can't fault them for that; I wanted the same. But the good life can come in surprising ways. I will say, I have never had a better family than those cats, each with his or her own personality and unique characteristics. They changed our lives irrevocably. Their antics and their gentle, funny natures delighted us every single day. Their gratitude for our helping them was expressed, not by bestowing gifts or money on us, but with their cuddles and purring and following us around, coming on our laps when we were sad or upset, running to meet us when we drove up. Or by sleeping with their paw in our hand. Or any number of other expressions of friendship. Unfortunately, we had to leave Turkey. I explored every avenue I came across to find a way to bring as many of those cats with me as I could, even going so far as to get several micro-chipped and vaccinated. But I was unable to bring them in the end, having no place to bring them to. It was one of the saddest moments of my life to leave those lovely beings behind. I think about them every single day, and miss them with all my heart. In fact, if my personal circumstances allowed, I would gladly bring each and every one of them to me where they would have a loving home for the rest of their lives. I think about it every day. It is only because of the kindness, generosity and extreme caring and hard work of the Animal Aid people who came to the rescue and took over the feeding of these cats when I left, that I have any peace of mind about the situation now. When I read that some people are advocating euthanasia for Mugzy (who is an absolutely amazing creature, by the way, and has a bit of notoriety amongst people who know his story) or gentle Kirmi and B.G. or the gorgeous Skreech and Crockett, or BooBoo, who has the sweetest nature of any being I have yet to meet in my life, I feel sick and completely disheartened. I feel helpless to save them from so far away. And I am imploring you not to deprive them of their one safety net. Yes, I agree, many of these animals might be better off never having been born if their lives were doomed to suffering. That same could be said for many humans, too, yet we don't euthanize them. When we look at the bigger picture of the state of things, it seems to me rather short-sighted, and even arrogant, sorry, to believe that we have more right to existence than a cat. Even in Calis, the natural habitat of animals is being gobbled up by villas, resorts, roads, etc. at an alarming rate. There are, what?, seven billion humans on this earth. Where do the animals go? Are we to round up every non-human creature on this planet and dispose of it, simply because it is crapping in "our" backyard? I am sorry. I cannot, and never will, accept that kind of thinking. Why are we here, after all? What is our purpose? These animals are sentient beings. They DO suffer and they also DO reciprocate in kindness and love. This I know without any shred of doubt. And it is so wonderful to experience that connection when it happens. You can make a difference in the world by reaching out, as Animal Aid volunteers and others do, and in so doing, you might find, as we did, as many others do, that your heart is warmed and your life brightened as a result. There are solutions, if only we try. It might not always be easy or quick, but the effort could very well be worth it.
