Merhaba,

  Just catching up on some of the zillions of photos I’ve taken.  I had lots of cat photos as there seem relatively few stray dogs here.

Ru

Cats of Marmaris

I’ve taken lots of photos of stray cats here Marmaris. So I thought it would be fun to do an email of the cats because many of them are such “hams.” Today I searched the Internet seeing if anyone had written about the cats here as they are cared for quite well compared to what we saw in Cyprus. Lots of food and water is put out around town and many of the cats have clipped ears to show they have been neutered. When I typed in cats of Marmaris’, up popped the Facebook site of the Marmaris Cat Shelter. When we return from Roanoke in November I’ll contact them and see about doing some volunteering. I did donate to the Awl Grip ladies who feed the cats that come by their marine supply shop. Other people put out food also. And big bowls of water. Nice!

http://www.marmarisinfo.com/kittycat/ Marmaris Cat Shelter

“HOW DO WE HELP THE STREET CATS WITHOUT CREATING A NEW PROBLEM?

Feed them by all means, but not in the restaurants, not in the hotels. find the nearest dustbin and feed them there. they are already feeding from the bins, so nothing changes there.

If a cat appears on your balcony, don’t immediately take it into your room and start to care for it!!!!! I know its hard but you have to think of the consequences, don’t teach it to be cared for when you are not going to be there in a couple of weeks,……

take the food and coax them to the dustbins and feed them there. When you leave at the end of your holidays they will still find food in those bins, and they wont be too used to human contact.

Please remember that feral or semi feral cats survive better with support rather than totally domesticating them, and that’s exactly what we do when we take them into our rooms and our arms, the closer you get to the street cats the more you take away their chances of survival and their independence.”

Obviously we did the absolutely most wrong thing in Israel befriending the kitty near our boat. But it did give him a “healthy start.” Eve says he doesn’t come round her boat much anymore; but had learned to feed himself from the fishermen and to share the bowls of food that were often put out at the entrance gate. I am glad that here there is a shelter so if we find a cat in distress; at least we can call someone.

From a shop near the marina.

Hundreds of cats, thousands of cats……The cats near the Awl Grip marine supply store early one morning.

Cats everywhere you look.

Morris?

He’s thinking, “Yes…I’ll put up with you and your camera.”

What a cutie!

What interesting coloring so I took a "portrait."

Many of the cats look as if they’ve been colored in by someone who had no clue what cats should look like, so they have bits of color blobbed onto their faces.

Jungle cats….

Cats’ eyes.

Clipped ears indicate this cat has been neutered

One-eyed Jack would be a great name for this cat.

I met him near the restaurants within the marina. He came over for some rubs and then made as if to follow me to town. Luckily a woman walking a dog came along so cat decided he’d stay in the marina which was a relief to me.

This interesting looking cat was waiting in the bazaar where food is put out by many of the shops.

Making himself comfortable along Bar Street.

Not yet open for business but good for resting.

I woke him up when I got closer to take a photo.

Street food for cats.

Little piles of food are put out so the cats won’t fight as each has his own spot.

A stray piece of chicken dôner kebap from our friends, maybe an accident, maybe sharing with the cats.

Bowls of water are put out also.