Street Animals in Turkey and Beyond
I lived in Izmir, Turkey for a year and one of the best parts about it, was the friendships I made with the cats and dogs of the city. The people take good care of them and they are friendly, in general. There were several occasions where dogs walked with me late at night offering protection. In winter, cats would curl up on my lap while I drank coffee at a cafe. I had my favourite animals that I would spend time with when visiting their neighborhood. Any leftover food suitable for animals, I would take to these friends.
In Nepal and in the Balkans, the street animals are more wild. Here in Kathmandu I have only seen a few cats and most of the dogs I have encountered are not interested in interacting. You have to be cautious of rabies. I will keep trying to make friends with the animals of this city, but it is not coming easily.