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In Istanbul,
the cat is more than just a cat.
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00:01:18,579 --> 00:01:23,125
The cat embodies
the indescribable chaos, the culture,
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00:01:23,375 --> 00:01:26,587
and the uniqueness
that is the essence of Istanbul.
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00:01:28,005 --> 00:01:32,843
Without the cat,
Istanbul would lose a part of its soul.
5
00:01:33,094 --> 00:01:35,763
And there's nothing like it
anywhere else on earth.
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00:04:17,174 --> 00:04:20,010
She's a real hunter now.
She wasn't like that before.
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00:04:20,261 --> 00:04:22,388
She changed after giving birth.
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00:04:25,099 --> 00:04:29,186
Before that, all she did was sleep.
Chilling here all day.
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00:05:05,556 --> 00:05:07,057
Sometimes I talk to her.
10
00:05:07,308 --> 00:05:09,184
And she actually talks back.
11
00:05:09,435 --> 00:05:12,021
She's a solid character.
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00:05:12,271 --> 00:05:13,981
She'll stubbornly stand there.
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You'll tell her to leave. She won't. She'll just stare.
"I'm not leaving," she'll say,
14
00:05:18,986 --> 00:05:21,405
"where're you kicking me out to?
I'll be back anyway."
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00:05:21,655 --> 00:05:24,366
"What're you trying to do, wise guy?"
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00:05:24,616 --> 00:05:27,619
She's really, you know, strong-willed.
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00:05:28,537 --> 00:05:30,914
She's got personality.
18
00:05:31,165 --> 00:05:36,712
Some cats really have character -
you can tell from their faces.
19
00:05:48,849 --> 00:05:51,143
I think it's wrong to trap them in a house...
20
00:05:51,393 --> 00:05:52,770
just so we can pet them.
21
00:05:53,020 --> 00:05:55,522
There are millions of them out there,
we pet them all we want.
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00:05:56,815 --> 00:06:00,319
What matters is being
on the same frequency as them.
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00:06:00,569 --> 00:06:02,071
To communicate with them.
24
00:06:02,321 --> 00:06:03,405
Besides, they can tell...
25
00:06:03,655 --> 00:06:05,407
who likes them and who doesn't.
26
00:06:06,408 --> 00:06:07,659
They notice.
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00:06:08,786 --> 00:06:10,496
And they give off good energy.
28
00:06:10,746 --> 00:06:12,706
They absorb all your negative energy.
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00:06:16,668 --> 00:06:19,338
We're lucky. They do me good.
30
00:06:19,588 --> 00:06:21,799
It's that time again.
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00:06:22,049 --> 00:06:24,593
Time to cruise. She comes and goes.
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00:07:43,755 --> 00:07:46,049
She came around one day -
I knew she had been pregnant.
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00:07:46,300 --> 00:07:48,760
It was obvious she had given birth.
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00:07:49,011 --> 00:07:52,097
She led me to the back,
to show me her kittens.
35
00:07:52,347 --> 00:07:53,724
It's so fascinating...
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00:07:53,974 --> 00:07:55,434
they're just like people.
37
00:08:10,908 --> 00:08:13,160
The love of animals
is a different kind of love.
38
00:08:13,410 --> 00:08:16,788
People who don't love animals
can't love people either.
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00:08:17,039 --> 00:08:18,415
I know that much.
40
00:09:55,137 --> 00:09:56,138
Bengü!
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00:09:59,641 --> 00:10:00,892
Bengü!
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00:10:01,893 --> 00:10:03,979
Come. Come, girl.
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She was one of four kittens.
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00:10:26,001 --> 00:10:29,004
She was the scrawniest one.
And the ugliest.
45
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The other three left, she stayed.
46
00:10:33,050 --> 00:10:34,551
Sometimes she makes me angry.
47
00:10:34,801 --> 00:10:36,762
But why? I've never thought about it.
48
00:10:37,012 --> 00:10:39,723
I guess I must be in a bad mood.
49
00:10:39,973 --> 00:10:41,558
But I never hit her or anything.
50
00:10:41,808 --> 00:10:45,395
I tell her to leave but she never does.
She walks to the door and comes back.
51
00:10:53,362 --> 00:10:56,281
Bengü has been with us
eight or nine years.
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00:10:56,531 --> 00:10:58,950
She came here as a kitten...
53
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and never left.
54
00:11:00,827 --> 00:11:04,206
Bengü loves to be loved. Honestly.
55
00:11:04,456 --> 00:11:07,793
She loves it when you pet her.
She nearly passes out.
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00:11:24,685 --> 00:11:28,980
It's not the kind of melodrama
from old Turkish movies...
57
00:11:29,231 --> 00:11:30,857
but I do look for her.
58
00:11:31,108 --> 00:11:33,110
If I don't see her, or hear her voice...
59
00:11:33,360 --> 00:11:36,363
if she's not around when I get here in the morning...
60
00:11:36,613 --> 00:11:39,408
I get worried and look for her.
Maybe she is like a child.
61
00:11:39,658 --> 00:11:43,078
People miss their kids, right? I miss her.
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00:11:47,124 --> 00:11:48,709
Bengü is very delicate.
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00:11:48,959 --> 00:11:52,754
If you pet another cat,
she'll get jealous and sulk.
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00:11:53,004 --> 00:11:55,966
She's very sensitive, Bengü.
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00:11:57,509 --> 00:11:59,177
That's it, that's the spot.
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00:11:59,428 --> 00:12:00,929
That's the spot.
67
00:12:01,179 --> 00:12:03,432
She's done for. And then here.
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00:12:03,682 --> 00:12:05,183
And here.
69
00:12:10,147 --> 00:12:11,148
Huh?
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00:12:11,398 --> 00:12:13,442
Look at her delight.
71
00:12:13,692 --> 00:12:15,819
Tch, tch, tch!
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00:12:16,069 --> 00:12:17,738
You really know how to live.
73
00:12:24,870 --> 00:12:28,290
Bengü has given birth
but I haven't seen where.
74
00:12:32,878 --> 00:12:36,465
Try attacking her kittens
and you'll see another side of her.
75
00:13:30,018 --> 00:13:34,856
I've heard they'd always
keep a cat on board a ship.
76
00:13:35,106 --> 00:13:39,027
To absorb your excess energy.
I know soil does the same thing.
77
00:13:39,277 --> 00:13:41,738
Prayer beads do the trick for me.
78
00:13:41,988 --> 00:13:44,115
This cat is good for me too.
79
00:13:45,909 --> 00:13:48,411
Besides, we've gotten used to her. She's...
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she's become one of us.
81
00:13:51,706 --> 00:13:54,292
Coming and going unconditionally.
82
00:13:54,543 --> 00:13:55,919
And endless conversations too.
83
00:14:00,882 --> 00:14:02,926
THESE CUPS ARE FOR CATS AND DOGS.
84
00:14:03,176 --> 00:14:07,806
IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE DESPERATE
FOR A CUP OF WATER IN THE NEXT LIFE...
85
00:14:08,056 --> 00:14:10,308
DON'T TOUCH THESE CUPS.
86
00:14:10,559 --> 00:14:13,270
They can't just fly away like birds.
87
00:14:13,520 --> 00:14:18,275
It's our responsibility to take care of them
as best as we can.
88
00:14:28,869 --> 00:14:31,788
It is said that cats
are aware of God's existence...
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00:14:32,038 --> 00:14:34,833
but that dogs are not.
90
00:14:35,083 --> 00:14:39,671
Dogs think people are God,
but cats don't.
91
00:14:39,921 --> 00:14:43,258
Cats know that people act
as middlemen to God's will.
92
00:14:43,508 --> 00:14:46,094
They're not ungrateful - they just know better.
93
00:15:26,134 --> 00:15:30,347
Petting a cat gives me
a peculiar sense of security.
94
00:15:30,597 --> 00:15:33,725
Even though we don't speak
each other's language
95
00:15:33,975 --> 00:15:36,853
we immediately form a shared language.
96
00:15:37,103 --> 00:15:39,731
I imagine having a relationship with cats
97
00:15:39,981 --> 00:15:42,651
must be a lot like being friends with aliens.
98
00:15:42,901 --> 00:15:47,197
You make contact with a very different life form...
99
00:15:47,447 --> 00:15:49,908
open a line of communication with one another...
100
00:15:50,158 --> 00:15:52,035
and start a dialogue.
101
00:16:10,470 --> 00:16:13,139
And they're very foreign to us, very different.
102
00:16:13,390 --> 00:16:16,935
Whether physically, mentally, or in capacity -
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00:16:17,185 --> 00:16:18,687
they're very different.
104
00:16:18,937 --> 00:16:21,231
Yet, we're able to have a relationship with them.
105
00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:13,134
Of course I can't take the place of their mother...
106
00:18:13,384 --> 00:18:14,886
but I do what I can.
107
00:18:23,103 --> 00:18:26,022
I wonder if I should feed them again.
108
00:18:29,400 --> 00:18:31,444
Alright, alright, I'm gonna feed you.
109
00:18:32,779 --> 00:18:34,823
When they're full, they don't make a peep.
110
00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:38,660
They're really hungry.
111
00:18:42,205 --> 00:18:46,042
Someone dumped them over by the shops.
112
00:18:47,710 --> 00:18:49,879
Relying on me being here.
113
00:18:54,342 --> 00:18:57,053
I had an incident with a cat,
it'll shock you if I tell you.
114
00:18:57,303 --> 00:19:00,223
About fifteen years ago
115
00:19:02,183 --> 00:19:05,061
my boat was docked over there -
it sank in a storm.
116
00:19:05,311 --> 00:19:10,024
I had barely managed to pay for it.
Sold whatever I had.
117
00:19:10,275 --> 00:19:12,402
But got the boat.
118
00:19:12,652 --> 00:19:15,155
I barely use it a week and the boat sinks.
119
00:19:16,573 --> 00:19:19,117
Then, I'm walking over by the rocks there...
120
00:19:20,535 --> 00:19:23,163
it's extraordinary what I'm about to tell you.
121
00:19:23,413 --> 00:19:27,458
I'm walking along, I see this cat,
pointing me to a wallet.
122
00:19:27,709 --> 00:19:31,337
A cat the same color as this one. No lie.
123
00:19:31,588 --> 00:19:33,214
Exactly that color.
124
00:19:33,464 --> 00:19:35,675
Meow, meow!
I thought, what's up with this cat?
125
00:19:35,925 --> 00:19:38,428
Does it have rabies or something?
I was a bit scared.
126
00:19:38,678 --> 00:19:42,891
So I went to have some tea. But something
kept bothering me to get the wallet.
127
00:19:43,141 --> 00:19:45,101
Even the tea guy asked if I was OK.
128
00:19:45,351 --> 00:19:47,937
I said, I don't know,
something strange is going on.
129
00:19:48,188 --> 00:19:52,066
I got up, took a look inside the wallet...
130
00:19:52,317 --> 00:19:56,279
I swear, I needed 120 lira -
and there was 120 lira inside that wallet.
131
00:19:56,529 --> 00:20:00,283
Whoever doesn't believe this story
is a heathen in my books.
132
00:20:00,533 --> 00:20:02,702
Can you imagine? God Almighty.
133
00:20:04,078 --> 00:20:05,705
What is that if not a godsend?
134
00:20:05,955 --> 00:20:08,041
That's how my love for animals began.
135
00:20:08,291 --> 00:20:13,004
After I found that wallet,
I started caring for cats.
136
00:20:15,715 --> 00:20:18,259
But taking care of cats is not easy.
137
00:20:19,761 --> 00:20:23,264
I have to give them milk,
if I'm gonna keep them alive.
138
00:20:23,514 --> 00:20:27,018
These guys are quite big, they should survive.
139
00:20:27,268 --> 00:20:30,230
But neglect them for a couple of days,
they'd surely die.
140
00:20:32,357 --> 00:20:35,109
They survived in that box
because it's warm in there.
141
00:20:35,360 --> 00:20:38,780
And that chubby one came along,
became a mother to them.
142
00:20:39,030 --> 00:20:41,991
He keeps them warm.
I guess they think he's their mother too.
143
00:20:42,242 --> 00:20:44,994
Both a father and a mother.
144
00:20:45,245 --> 00:20:48,456
He's both a father and a mother to them.
145
00:20:48,706 --> 00:20:51,292
- You have two children at home, right?
- Yes, I have two.
146
00:20:51,542 --> 00:20:53,670
So you know what it's like to be a parent.
147
00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:55,546
Oh, it's tough.
148
00:23:51,013 --> 00:23:54,684
Whether we like it or not,
there are mice that live here by the sea.
149
00:23:54,934 --> 00:24:00,106
And because we're people,
we don't give them space to live.
150
00:24:00,356 --> 00:24:03,151
But admittedly, they are an eyesore...
151
00:24:03,401 --> 00:24:06,320
and it's not good for them
to be around where people eat.
152
00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:14,662
We considered using rat poison,
we'd done so in the past.
153
00:24:14,912 --> 00:24:18,875
But just when we decided
to let the mice die on their own...
154
00:24:19,125 --> 00:24:24,046
this little lion of a cat showed up.
155
00:24:24,297 --> 00:24:29,927
And he takes care of them at night,
as nature dictates.
156
00:25:27,151 --> 00:25:30,530
We don't tell him to hunt mice,
he's assumed it as his duty.
157
00:25:30,780 --> 00:25:34,075
To tell you the truth, he earns his keep.
158
00:25:34,325 --> 00:25:39,247
You know the saying,
"do justice to one's love"?
159
00:25:39,497 --> 00:25:43,209
That's what he does.
He does justice to the love he gets.
160
00:25:44,126 --> 00:25:45,378
We're grateful to him.
161
00:26:43,436 --> 00:26:45,104
Life is beautiful.
162
00:26:45,354 --> 00:26:47,940
If you know how to live.
163
00:26:48,190 --> 00:26:51,444
You can love if your heart's eye is open.
164
00:26:54,030 --> 00:26:57,158
Everything is beautiful
when you look at it with love.
165
00:26:57,408 --> 00:27:04,081
If you can enjoy the presence
of a cat, a bird, a flower...
166
00:27:04,332 --> 00:27:08,669
what can I say, all the world will be yours.
167
00:27:34,654 --> 00:27:37,239
She is the toughest
among all the females.
168
00:27:39,241 --> 00:27:41,285
Trouble for all the fishermen.
169
00:27:42,036 --> 00:27:43,412
A fish thief.
170
00:27:43,663 --> 00:27:46,040
Arch enemy of the dogs.
171
00:27:47,083 --> 00:27:50,378
She'll chase any of them, including pit bulls.
172
00:27:56,175 --> 00:27:58,844
She is the neighborhood psychopath.
173
00:28:10,189 --> 00:28:12,233
She doesn't like soft love.
174
00:28:14,402 --> 00:28:17,613
She likes tough love.
175
00:28:27,289 --> 00:28:31,919
See, she'll start from the top of the church
176
00:28:32,169 --> 00:28:35,840
and patrol the whole place.
177
00:28:36,090 --> 00:28:38,426
She's a very interesting animal.
178
00:28:39,677 --> 00:28:42,096
The only thing she'll steal is fish.
179
00:28:42,346 --> 00:28:44,557
She'll stand in front of
the fish vendors over there
180
00:28:44,807 --> 00:28:47,393
refusing to leave
even if they shoo her away.
181
00:28:47,643 --> 00:28:50,813
She won't take anchovies or mackerel either,
she prefers bluefish.
182
00:28:51,063 --> 00:28:54,692
Then she'll make those fishermen
chase her all the way here.
183
00:29:06,454 --> 00:29:08,330
She likes to live a life of luxury.
184
00:29:11,584 --> 00:29:14,628
She even makes her husband respect her.
185
00:29:15,755 --> 00:29:16,797
She chases him off.
186
00:29:32,271 --> 00:29:34,106
She's leaving so he can eat.
187
00:29:38,569 --> 00:29:42,156
Mm-hmm.
Now, Osman Pasha gets his turn.
188
00:30:16,774 --> 00:30:19,735
She doesn't want to lose him to anyone else either.
189
00:30:21,070 --> 00:30:26,075
Girls prettier than Psycho have come around, right?
190
00:30:26,325 --> 00:30:30,412
There's an instinctive jealousy.
191
00:30:45,594 --> 00:30:48,138
She's like a vicious housewife.
192
00:30:48,389 --> 00:30:51,976
A jealous housewife
who doesn't leave her husband alone.
193
00:30:54,812 --> 00:30:56,981
And doesn't let anyone else near him either.
194
00:31:17,293 --> 00:31:22,047
She comes around when she wants to be loved.
195
00:31:22,298 --> 00:31:24,508
Gets her fill of love and leaves.
196
00:31:29,263 --> 00:31:30,806
But I can't do as I please.
197
00:31:31,056 --> 00:31:33,058
I grabbed her tail, she bit my hand.
198
00:31:35,060 --> 00:31:36,937
But she does as she wishes.
199
00:31:37,187 --> 00:31:39,815
That's very important to me.
200
00:31:40,065 --> 00:31:45,404
That she never compromises her freedom.
201
00:31:48,490 --> 00:31:50,409
She has a fighting spirit.
202
00:31:51,619 --> 00:31:53,203
That's what I like.
203
00:31:54,914 --> 00:31:58,709
She has qualities that people should have.
204
00:32:24,360 --> 00:32:27,237
Their posture feels very feminine to me.
205
00:32:27,488 --> 00:32:32,076
I don't see that elegance in women anymore.
206
00:32:32,326 --> 00:32:35,162
We've lost that,
but cats carry themselves so well.
207
00:32:44,964 --> 00:32:48,884
Especially in this country, in a city like this...
208
00:32:49,134 --> 00:32:52,471
it's very difficult to be a woman, to be female.
209
00:32:52,721 --> 00:32:57,393
To express your femininity,
to be defiant with your femininity.
210
00:33:02,314 --> 00:33:04,900
Being female -
211
00:33:05,150 --> 00:33:07,569
and if you're a "pretty little thing" -
212
00:33:07,820 --> 00:33:10,948
you feel like you have to account for all of it.
213
00:33:28,674 --> 00:33:30,843
When you're alone for long periods of time
214
00:33:31,093 --> 00:33:34,805
your animal instincts get sharper.
I really believe that.
215
00:33:35,055 --> 00:33:38,600
Maybe it's a quality that ought to be
developed more in all of us.
216
00:33:38,851 --> 00:33:42,312
As if it's better to be so human, so modern.
217
00:33:42,563 --> 00:33:46,400
There's a power you can feel within you
of a wild creature.
218
00:33:46,650 --> 00:33:49,361
I think everyone needs
to discover that in themselves.
219
00:33:54,199 --> 00:33:55,784
Cats' existence is enough for them.
220
00:33:56,035 --> 00:33:59,204
And they're very sure of their character.
221
00:33:59,455 --> 00:34:02,332
But it's not enough for us.
We always want more.
222
00:34:02,583 --> 00:34:05,669
That mentality poisons us
and destroys everything.
223
00:34:05,919 --> 00:34:09,631
And maybe in the near future,
in two or three years
224
00:34:09,882 --> 00:34:12,634
we may no longer see cats on these streets.
225
00:35:44,893 --> 00:35:47,646
They all have personalities,
just like people.
226
00:35:47,896 --> 00:35:49,940
If you look closely, we're the same.
227
00:35:50,190 --> 00:35:54,027
Some want affection,
others will tell you all their troubles.
228
00:35:54,278 --> 00:35:57,072
Some are discreet, won't talk about anything.
229
00:35:57,322 --> 00:35:59,366
Others are ambitious.
230
00:35:59,616 --> 00:36:02,911
And some are pompous...
231
00:36:03,162 --> 00:36:07,166
like a lady who can't be bothered to say hello.
232
00:36:09,960 --> 00:36:11,712
Cats are exactly the same.
233
00:36:11,962 --> 00:36:16,091
Some won't even look when I call to them.
234
00:36:16,341 --> 00:36:19,595
I believe they share the same traits as people.
235
00:36:24,224 --> 00:36:25,517
Deniz!
236
00:36:26,977 --> 00:36:28,562
Deniz!
237
00:36:28,812 --> 00:36:30,522
He was a tiny little thing.
238
00:36:30,772 --> 00:36:32,983
He looked down at me from up there.
239
00:36:33,233 --> 00:36:35,861
We wondered where this beat-up little guy came from.
240
00:36:36,111 --> 00:36:38,447
I brought him down from the roof.
241
00:36:38,697 --> 00:36:41,283
Who knows where he came from.
242
00:36:43,660 --> 00:36:46,121
Being a young male,
he attacked us at first.
243
00:36:46,371 --> 00:36:53,837
A couple of months later,
he started approaching us for food.
244
00:36:54,087 --> 00:37:00,969
Once we could caress him, he was tamed.
245
00:37:03,764 --> 00:37:07,309
Now he's become a very friendly cat.
246
00:37:32,876 --> 00:37:34,461
Deniz!
247
00:38:11,456 --> 00:38:14,251
It all changed over the last five years
248
00:38:14,501 --> 00:38:16,670
when these buildings went up.
249
00:38:18,171 --> 00:38:21,800
It used to be all green here.
There were orchards...
250
00:38:22,050 --> 00:38:27,014
there were gardens where they'd grow crops.
251
00:38:29,975 --> 00:38:33,312
When these buildings went up,
it all disappeared. No nature left.
252
00:38:55,459 --> 00:38:57,502
Oh my dear.
253
00:38:57,753 --> 00:39:00,213
Look at them, seven plump kittens!
254
00:39:01,923 --> 00:39:05,344
These kittens...
it'll be a shame if they tear this place down.
255
00:39:05,594 --> 00:39:08,055
Don't know what we'll do.
256
00:39:08,305 --> 00:39:10,974
This will be a major road.
257
00:39:11,224 --> 00:39:13,602
They want to connect these buildings.
258
00:39:20,942 --> 00:39:24,613
We're more worried
about what'll happen to the cats
259
00:39:24,863 --> 00:39:26,656
than what might happen to us.
260
00:39:26,907 --> 00:39:30,494
If this area gets demolished -
and it's very likely -
261
00:39:30,744 --> 00:39:32,746
they'll be without anyone.
262
00:39:41,755 --> 00:39:43,423
At some point, they miss the streets.
263
00:39:43,673 --> 00:39:45,842
They can find some earth out here.
264
00:39:46,551 --> 00:39:48,887
To do their business.
265
00:39:49,137 --> 00:39:51,431
It's harder to do that in a house
with cat litter.
266
00:39:51,681 --> 00:39:54,101
But out here they dig it up -
267
00:39:55,102 --> 00:39:56,353
Oh no, where did he come from?
268
00:39:56,603 --> 00:39:59,481
- An older cat got to him in the backyard.
- Oh sweetie...
269
00:39:59,731 --> 00:40:02,943
- I immediately thought of you.
- My, what are we going to do with you?
270
00:40:04,444 --> 00:40:06,196
You poor poor thing.
271
00:40:13,870 --> 00:40:15,580
Is he gone I wonder. Is he dead?
272
00:40:27,926 --> 00:40:31,638
He must have slammed him against the ground.
Got attacked by a bigger cat.
273
00:40:31,888 --> 00:40:34,266
It's a fact of nature. It happens.
274
00:41:27,277 --> 00:41:29,029
This one was my first child.
275
00:41:29,279 --> 00:41:32,741
She was special
not only because she was my first
276
00:41:32,991 --> 00:41:35,243
but also because she had great character.
277
00:41:35,494 --> 00:41:37,204
She died of breast cancer.
278
00:41:38,830 --> 00:41:45,086
I would dress her up
to keep her from licking her wounds.
279
00:41:45,337 --> 00:41:47,714
I tried very hard to find a cat like her again...
280
00:41:47,964 --> 00:41:52,302
but I came to realize that it was futile,
that she was one of a kind.
281
00:41:53,094 --> 00:41:56,181
My longing for her...
let's just say if there is afterlife,
282
00:41:56,431 --> 00:41:58,934
I want to meet her again -
not my grandmother.
283
00:42:06,900 --> 00:42:09,945
We cook twenty pounds of chicken every day.
284
00:42:10,195 --> 00:42:12,822
We don't feed them dried cat food
or anything artificial.
285
00:42:28,338 --> 00:42:34,344
My therapist says that I try to heal
my own wounds by healing theirs.
286
00:42:34,594 --> 00:42:38,557
By feeding them and tending to their needs.
287
00:42:39,599 --> 00:42:44,521
My wounds must be so deeply rooted...
288
00:42:44,771 --> 00:42:48,817
They still haven't
healed despite all of this.
289
00:42:49,067 --> 00:42:51,778
I guess I'll heal when they heal.
290
00:43:00,328 --> 00:43:03,123
There was a time I had great difficulty
dealing with death.
291
00:43:04,082 --> 00:43:07,544
I accept death as a reality...
292
00:43:08,753 --> 00:43:11,464
but I have difficulty dealing with the longing.
293
00:43:11,715 --> 00:43:13,675
That's my problem with death.
294
00:43:23,393 --> 00:43:26,187
Now we'll go out
to distribute the morning meal.
295
00:43:26,438 --> 00:43:31,359
This is our daily routine,
seven days a week, including Sundays.
296
00:43:35,113 --> 00:43:37,407
Wait honey, wait.
297
00:43:39,159 --> 00:43:41,036
Come, come my girl.
298
00:43:41,953 --> 00:43:44,247
My little darlings.
299
00:43:49,628 --> 00:43:51,254
Come, I've got your food!
300
00:43:58,136 --> 00:44:03,391
There were sixty
but five died in the last two weeks.
301
00:44:04,142 --> 00:44:05,602
And it's always cancer.
302
00:44:07,020 --> 00:44:10,065
We say it happens to people,
but it happens to animals too.
303
00:44:10,315 --> 00:44:13,276
We eat and drink the same -
same food, same water.
304
00:44:23,328 --> 00:44:25,413
We raised a lot of cats.
305
00:44:25,664 --> 00:44:30,210
Some grew old and died,
quite a few got run over.
306
00:44:30,460 --> 00:44:35,340
We learned that something you love
can one day cease to exist.
307
00:44:35,590 --> 00:44:40,929
We adopted a sense of stoicism that way.
308
00:44:41,179 --> 00:44:43,848
We had a cat cemetery in the backyard.
309
00:44:44,099 --> 00:44:47,602
My older brother and I
would bury them with great ceremony.
310
00:44:47,852 --> 00:44:51,439
And because we'd see crosses
in cowboy movies -
311
00:44:51,690 --> 00:44:54,901
like that last scene
in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly -
312
00:44:55,151 --> 00:44:56,695
we thought they looked impressive.
313
00:44:56,945 --> 00:44:59,906
We're not Christian -
but they look cool in movies
314
00:45:00,156 --> 00:45:04,744
and because we weren't
about to engrave tiny gravestones -
315
00:45:04,994 --> 00:45:07,539
we'd make crosses out of twigs.
316
00:45:07,789 --> 00:45:10,834
Then one day our father saw us
and freaked out over the crosses.
317
00:45:11,084 --> 00:45:12,627
Immediately sent us to Qur'an school.
318
00:45:12,877 --> 00:45:15,672
So that we wouldn't suddenly turn Christian.
319
00:45:15,922 --> 00:45:18,633
We told him not to worry, obviously.
320
00:45:19,592 --> 00:45:24,139
If I hadn't met cats,
I would've had a very troubled childhood.
321
00:45:24,389 --> 00:45:27,726
Because interacting
only with people is not enough...
322
00:45:27,976 --> 00:45:30,437
and especially difficult with grown-ups.
323
00:45:37,444 --> 00:45:41,364
I love cats who hang out in vintage stores,
"hmm the smell of paper"...
324
00:45:41,614 --> 00:45:44,242
stretching out among old LPs.
325
00:45:44,492 --> 00:45:46,494
It's especially satisfying when I'm sketching...
326
00:45:46,745 --> 00:45:49,205
she sleeps in the drawer
like a vintage store cat.
327
00:45:49,456 --> 00:45:51,458
I check the drawer once in a while -
328
00:45:51,708 --> 00:45:54,377
"OK, she's still sleeping" - and I work on.
329
00:45:54,627 --> 00:45:56,588
Because drawing is such isolating work,
330
00:45:56,838 --> 00:45:59,632
a sleeping cat can really give you comfort.
331
00:46:07,140 --> 00:46:10,685
Any ungrateful behavior on their part
is really an act of sincerity.
332
00:46:10,935 --> 00:46:12,979
They don't need to apologize.
333
00:46:13,229 --> 00:46:16,858
I guess there are people
who expect that from a cat.
334
00:46:17,108 --> 00:46:21,279
"I gave you all that food
and you won't even come to my lap."
335
00:46:21,529 --> 00:46:23,948
A relationship
where they expect a return of investment.
336
00:46:33,833 --> 00:46:38,880
Down the hill used to be a big harbor
during the Ottoman era.
337
00:46:39,130 --> 00:46:43,384
Ships from Norway and elsewhere
would come with cargo.
338
00:46:43,635 --> 00:46:49,098
Sailors would keep cats on board
to fend off mice.
339
00:46:49,349 --> 00:46:51,434
As cargo was being unloaded,
cats would get off the boat -
340
00:46:51,684 --> 00:46:53,603
thinking they've made it to land.
341
00:46:53,853 --> 00:46:56,606
And trek up to the top of the hill.
342
00:46:56,856 --> 00:47:00,568
Later, they'd miss the boat
and begin life here in Cihangir.
343
00:47:00,819 --> 00:47:02,654
Now there are countless
kinds of cats in this area.
344
00:47:02,904 --> 00:47:07,200
Norwegian cats,
and cats from all over the world.
345
00:47:07,450 --> 00:47:08,910
There's a lot of variety.
346
00:47:13,331 --> 00:47:20,421
Later, the first Ottoman sewers
were built in this part of the city.
347
00:47:21,673 --> 00:47:28,721
And giant rats would terrorize residents.
348
00:47:28,972 --> 00:47:32,350
That's why every house had a cat.
349
00:47:32,600 --> 00:47:35,979
To fend off the giant sewer rats.
350
00:48:25,904 --> 00:48:28,698
His name was "Milkman"
when he first showed up.
351
00:48:28,948 --> 00:48:32,702
He'd come around to drink milk and leave.
352
00:48:32,952 --> 00:48:37,540
He was barely a year old.
He wasn't neutered.
353
00:48:37,790 --> 00:48:40,126
Then he started showing up all banged up.
354
00:48:40,376 --> 00:48:43,296
Got into fights with other males
over the ladies.
355
00:48:43,546 --> 00:48:47,091
Got kicked one time,
showed up with a dislocated arm.
356
00:48:48,718 --> 00:48:51,804
Got bit by a dog,
showed up with a hole in his butt.
357
00:48:52,055 --> 00:48:56,476
But it never ruins his mood.
He's always happy.
358
00:48:56,726 --> 00:49:01,648
A neighbor of mine
started calling him carefree, happy-go-lucky.
359
00:49:01,898 --> 00:49:03,942
So the name Gamsiz - carefree - stuck.
360
00:49:07,528 --> 00:49:11,324
Our vet Elif down the road
thinks Gamsiz was in love with her.
361
00:49:11,574 --> 00:49:14,535
'Cause at some point
it was a trip to the vet every two weeks.
362
00:49:14,786 --> 00:49:16,955
Constantly getting in trouble.
363
00:49:17,205 --> 00:49:22,085
He'd have an accident, get hurt,
or develop a fungal infection.
364
00:49:22,335 --> 00:49:26,005
For months,
we visited the vet every two weeks.
365
00:49:26,255 --> 00:49:29,717
Once he spent a whole winter at the vet.
366
00:49:31,636 --> 00:49:33,262
Doesn't that get expensive?
367
00:49:33,513 --> 00:49:37,725
I guess it does.
But we all have running tabs at the vet.
368
00:49:37,976 --> 00:49:41,062
There's a bunch of us in the neighborhood.
369
00:49:41,312 --> 00:49:45,441
We have an open tab at pretty much every vet.
370
00:49:47,652 --> 00:49:51,197
We also collect donations
which help fund these expenses.
371
00:49:53,199 --> 00:49:56,411
Whatever is in our tip box,
goes to the cats.
372
00:50:19,934 --> 00:50:22,687
Gamsiz is a bit of a thug.
373
00:50:22,937 --> 00:50:25,940
He's feisty -
the tough guy of the neighborhood.
374
00:50:31,738 --> 00:50:34,991
But, let's say if you wanted go out at night,
375
00:50:35,241 --> 00:50:39,871
he's the one you'd want to go out with.
376
00:50:40,121 --> 00:50:41,873
He's that guy. He's fun.
377
00:50:53,384 --> 00:50:55,553
There's Laçin across the street.
He really likes her.
378
00:50:57,180 --> 00:51:04,145
She's told me that he comes to her window
and demands to be let in.
379
00:51:04,395 --> 00:51:08,066
Or he'll go up to the front door
if he wants to enter the building.
380
00:51:08,316 --> 00:51:10,651
She says sometimes
he even spends the night.
381
00:51:12,820 --> 00:51:15,323
When he wants to eat sausages,
he goes to Filiz.
382
00:51:16,449 --> 00:51:18,034
Everyone offers something different...
383
00:51:18,284 --> 00:51:20,870
but there are also the people
cats choose for themselves.
384
00:51:21,120 --> 00:51:22,663
Gamsiz has a wide range.
385
00:51:22,914 --> 00:51:28,086
I'm the main human in his life...
others are supporting actors.
386
00:51:35,802 --> 00:51:42,350
Because I'm on the first floor,
it's easy for cats to come up here.
387
00:51:42,600 --> 00:51:47,855
Uh, my place has many visitors
but I try not to let them in.
388
00:51:48,106 --> 00:51:49,899
Because I have a cat of my own.
389
00:51:50,149 --> 00:51:53,027
Murat doesn't take care of just one cat.
390
00:51:53,277 --> 00:51:57,031
He cares for many
and knows all their characters.
391
00:51:57,281 --> 00:52:01,744
I met Gamsiz at the café,
he was lying on the couch.
392
00:52:01,994 --> 00:52:07,250
And when I tried to sit down, he smacked me.
That's how we met.
393
00:52:07,500 --> 00:52:10,294
After that, I smothered him
with love of course.
394
00:52:10,545 --> 00:52:13,256
They take note of that immediately, you know.
395
00:52:13,506 --> 00:52:19,011
They remember if you made a connection.
396
00:52:19,262 --> 00:52:22,598
As a result, he came up here.
At first I didn't let him in.
397
00:52:22,849 --> 00:52:26,060
But unlike anyone else,
Gamsiz stands sideways.
398
00:52:26,310 --> 00:52:27,311
Like this.
399
00:52:27,562 --> 00:52:29,188
A single paw in the air.
400
00:52:32,024 --> 00:52:34,819
He seems to be knocking like this.
401
00:52:36,362 --> 00:52:38,030
He's always like that.
402
00:52:38,281 --> 00:52:41,951
Whereas all other cats, including mine,
stand facing forward.
403
00:52:42,201 --> 00:52:46,414
But this guy, whether he comes
up to the front or back window -
404
00:52:46,664 --> 00:52:48,541
always has this sideways stance.
405
00:52:48,791 --> 00:52:51,043
He strikes this charming pose.
406
00:52:51,294 --> 00:52:56,591
And with that paw,
he somehow gets your attention.
407
00:52:56,841 --> 00:53:00,052
Should you ignore him,
he gets even more persistent.
408
00:53:00,303 --> 00:53:04,891
Especially if you're right
where he wants to come in -
409
00:53:05,141 --> 00:53:10,229
he gets really rowdy
and eventually forces you to let him in.
410
00:53:10,479 --> 00:53:13,024
I respect him a lot because of that.
411
00:53:13,274 --> 00:53:17,486
What's really special about him
is that he's a go-getter.
412
00:53:17,737 --> 00:53:20,281
Once he makes up his mind
about something -
413
00:53:20,531 --> 00:53:23,534
let's say he's decided to come here
and eat Gece's food -
414
00:53:23,784 --> 00:53:26,495
that's his mission for the day -
415
00:53:26,746 --> 00:53:28,372
there's no stopping him.
416
00:53:32,793 --> 00:53:35,129
Come, Gece!
417
00:53:38,174 --> 00:53:41,928
OK, that's enough. Everybody out.
418
00:53:43,012 --> 00:53:45,640
Tch, tch!
419
00:53:49,894 --> 00:53:53,606
Ginger is new to the neighborhood.
We've only recently started seeing him.
420
00:53:58,486 --> 00:54:02,198
But he's really determined
to take over the neighborhood.
421
00:55:00,047 --> 00:55:03,259
He's fighting over territory.
422
00:55:03,509 --> 00:55:05,052
"My hood".
423
00:55:05,303 --> 00:55:08,931
"I might be new here,
but I'm a cat of strength".
424
00:55:09,181 --> 00:55:10,641
"I'm a cat of quality".
425
00:55:10,891 --> 00:55:14,770
"You'll see, I'll gain control of this territory".
426
00:55:15,021 --> 00:55:16,981
That's his attitude.
427
00:56:46,445 --> 00:56:49,865
That's what I first admired about cats...
428
00:56:50,116 --> 00:56:53,702
the way I admired superheroes
like Spiderman or Superman...
429
00:56:53,953 --> 00:56:56,247
I believed cats had superpowers too.
430
00:56:56,497 --> 00:57:01,293
I never stopped being in awe of them.
431
00:57:05,673 --> 00:57:10,594
Having nine lives,
or being able to land on all four feet...
432
00:57:10,845 --> 00:57:13,472
If only we could land on all fours.
433
00:57:13,722 --> 00:57:17,893
We land on two and they snap like twigs.
434
00:58:36,430 --> 00:58:37,848
I had to leave early yesterday.
435
00:58:38,098 --> 00:58:41,560
I was sad I couldn't bring enough food.
436
00:58:41,810 --> 00:58:47,525
I couldn't eat my dinner
with a clear conscience.
437
00:58:47,775 --> 00:58:50,277
It's overwhelming
when I think of them back there.
438
00:58:51,862 --> 00:58:55,324
I have a lot of friends
who know what I do here...
439
00:58:55,574 --> 00:58:57,368
but they don't understand
why I take it upon myself.
440
00:58:57,618 --> 00:59:00,788
They think God will provide for them.
441
00:59:01,038 --> 00:59:03,791
I say sure, but I'm the middleman.
442
00:59:04,041 --> 00:59:06,627
Besides, it's better
than spending my time at the café.
443
00:59:51,422 --> 00:59:53,465
Even though he's young, he prefers fish.
444
00:59:53,716 --> 00:59:56,719
One of them has an eye infection.
445
00:59:59,179 --> 01:00:03,475
So I have to give him antibiotic drops.
446
01:00:03,726 --> 01:00:06,186
Picked up a few things
after so many trips to the vet.
447
01:00:19,658 --> 01:00:21,076
I know all of them.
448
01:00:21,327 --> 01:00:25,748
I know this one's mother,
her aunts, all five generations.
449
01:00:25,998 --> 01:00:27,541
I remember all her family members.
450
01:00:29,627 --> 01:00:32,463
The one that just gave birth...
451
01:00:32,713 --> 01:00:35,591
she's this one's little sister.
452
01:00:36,925 --> 01:00:40,304
During winter,
they find shelter under those rocks.
453
01:00:40,554 --> 01:00:45,142
They stay alive with the warmth of the sea.
454
01:00:45,392 --> 01:00:47,811
Other than that, they don't have a home.
455
01:00:52,191 --> 01:00:56,236
There's one missing here.
The one that just gave birth.
456
01:00:56,487 --> 01:00:58,572
Let's see if she'll come when I call.
457
01:01:17,299 --> 01:01:19,635
I had a nervous breakdown in 2002.
458
01:01:19,885 --> 01:01:22,179
That's when I got more involved with cats.
459
01:01:24,640 --> 01:01:26,475
Doing this cured me.
460
01:01:32,773 --> 01:01:36,110
I was really caught up, I was really lost.
461
01:01:36,360 --> 01:01:39,613
This truly is therapy.
462
01:01:39,863 --> 01:01:43,075
Now I'm really happy, honestly.
Thanks to them.
463
01:01:43,325 --> 01:01:45,869
I wouldn't be otherwise.
No drug was able to save me.
464
01:01:49,915 --> 01:01:53,043
They're all waiting for me here.
Their feeding time is near.
465
01:01:54,336 --> 01:01:57,131
I believe I got healthy again
by taking care of them.
466
01:01:57,381 --> 01:02:00,384
Before, I couldn't talk or laugh.
467
01:02:01,051 --> 01:02:04,096
But now...
468
01:02:04,346 --> 01:02:07,015
let's just say
they make you fall in love again.
469
01:04:03,882 --> 01:04:07,052
Just as you notice the cat,
the cat notices you.
470
01:04:07,302 --> 01:04:09,263
It's very mutual.
471
01:04:09,513 --> 01:04:12,975
I think that mesmerizes me a little.
That it's so reciprocal.
472
01:04:13,767 --> 01:04:15,269
It's like a mirror.
473
01:06:25,774 --> 01:06:28,110
Duman - Smokey -
has been with us for two years.
474
01:06:29,361 --> 01:06:31,530
My guess is that he was
kicked out of some place.
475
01:06:32,489 --> 01:06:34,741
'Cause the first night he showed up -
476
01:06:34,992 --> 01:06:37,077
I witnessed him coming down the street -
477
01:06:37,327 --> 01:06:39,496
he was complaining very loudly.
478
01:06:56,430 --> 01:06:59,141
He won't let himself
be pet like other cats.
479
01:07:00,308 --> 01:07:03,270
He never harasses our customers for food.
480
01:07:03,520 --> 01:07:07,065
In time, I came to realize
that he was different than other cats.
481
01:07:07,315 --> 01:07:09,568
He's a cat with manners.
482
01:07:09,818 --> 01:07:13,030
No matter how hungry he is,
he won't come in, even if the door is open.
483
01:07:15,115 --> 01:07:19,286
He lets us know he's hungry
by pawing at the window.
484
01:07:20,203 --> 01:07:21,830
He's a bit of a glutton.
485
01:07:25,167 --> 01:07:30,380
He knows that his favorite food
is back here
486
01:07:30,630 --> 01:07:36,720
so he gets excited
every time he sees us here.
487
01:07:40,557 --> 01:07:43,226
He was quite overweight...
nearly twelve pounds when he first showed up.
488
01:07:43,477 --> 01:07:47,731
As our vet also recommended,
we decided to put him on a diet.
489
01:07:47,981 --> 01:07:51,610
We fed him less and less food...
or only smoked meats.
490
01:07:55,030 --> 01:07:58,533
We give him some Manchego
or a softer cheese like Emmental.
491
01:07:58,784 --> 01:08:02,162
A little bit of smoked turkey.
492
01:08:02,412 --> 01:08:07,042
Of course, he can also be
very picky about the meat he eats.
493
01:08:07,292 --> 01:08:11,254
He used to love roast beef,
but now, he only wants turkey.
494
01:08:36,696 --> 01:08:38,490
I'd say he's quite happy.
495
01:08:38,740 --> 01:08:42,119
He does get around a lot, though.
496
01:08:42,369 --> 01:08:45,705
But he never hangs out with other cats.
497
01:08:45,956 --> 01:08:48,500
He's always alone. Always alone.
498
01:08:48,750 --> 01:08:52,504
There have been times
we've gotten him out of dumpsters too.
499
01:08:52,754 --> 01:08:55,882
Beneath that aristocratic appearance,
there is still a street kid.
500
01:09:37,299 --> 01:09:41,011
In a way, street animals
are our cultural symbol.
501
01:09:41,261 --> 01:09:46,183
Istanbul and cats... So many cats
roaming the streets of a city.
502
01:09:46,433 --> 01:09:49,186
They've become a distinct trait of Istanbul.
503
01:09:55,066 --> 01:09:57,444
Streets seem empty to me
without cats...
504
01:09:58,403 --> 01:10:01,114
but it is a strange situation.
505
01:10:01,364 --> 01:10:03,867
It's a total dilemma if you ask me.
506
01:10:05,035 --> 01:10:07,913
The city no longer accommodates them.
507
01:10:08,163 --> 01:10:10,582
But at home -
and I know from my own cats -
508
01:10:10,832 --> 01:10:13,168
they forget their cat-ness after a while.
509
01:10:25,680 --> 01:10:31,019
Our concerns for street animals
and our concerns for people
510
01:10:31,269 --> 01:10:33,897
are completely related to one another.
511
01:10:35,440 --> 01:10:40,862
If you ask me, the troubles street cats
or other street animals face
512
01:10:41,112 --> 01:10:43,365
are not independent
from the troubles we all face.
513
01:10:50,038 --> 01:10:53,750
It would be easy to see
street cats as a problem
514
01:10:54,000 --> 01:10:56,878
and handle them as a problem.
515
01:10:58,421 --> 01:11:02,842
Whereas if we can learn
to live together again,
516
01:11:03,093 --> 01:11:07,973
maybe we'll solve our own problems
as we try to solve theirs.
517
01:11:08,223 --> 01:11:13,311
In fact, I'm sure that we would even
regain our fading sense of humor
518
01:11:13,561 --> 01:11:18,316
and rekindle our slowly dying joy for life.
519
01:12:47,405 --> 01:12:50,450
See how he comes to me?
Isn't it amazing?
520
01:12:50,700 --> 01:12:52,202
I thank God.
521
01:12:53,411 --> 01:12:56,331
Isn't that right, Bombis?
522
01:12:57,916 --> 01:12:59,751
My love! Right, Bombis?
523
01:13:09,302 --> 01:13:13,515
God says, "I test people".
524
01:13:15,058 --> 01:13:21,648
God brings us closer to him
in different ways.
525
01:13:21,898 --> 01:13:25,318
For me, it was these animals.
526
01:13:26,903 --> 01:13:29,155
I guess I was worthy of his love.
527
01:15:36,699 --> 01:15:40,870
A cat meowing at your feet,
looking up at you
528
01:15:41,120 --> 01:15:43,706
is life smiling at you.
529
01:15:44,749 --> 01:15:47,252
Those are moments when we're lucky...
530
01:15:47,502 --> 01:15:50,838
they remind us that we're alive.
43463
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