You may have heard that Istanbul, Turkey is known for having over 100,000 stray cats and dogs who are often both cared for and loved by the city’s residents.
And while that certainly adds a charming character to the metropolis, that wholesome phenomenon is a little more universal than it might seem.
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There are stories from Brazil of law firms and car dealerships essentially hiring the strays that keep showing up as mascots, but people who will show a lot of concern for the little critters exist the world over.
And as one story does a lot to illustrate, these people will go above and beyond when one of these strays wanders onto their properties.
In a TikTok uploaded on November 15, a woman named Renee shared the story of how she and her partner came to know a local stray cat they named Ziggy.
As she told The Dodo, they initially thought Ziggy belonged to a neighbor, but made a point of feeding him whenever he showed up once they learned he had wandered the area for years.
But while he showed up twice a day for food, he was also very skittish and wouldn’t let either of his benefactors touch him.
The couple understood, but they also worried about what would happen if he was still timid when the weather became colder.
So as we can see here, they decided to build a little house for him so he could be safe and warm while still maintaining his privacy.
And the more that they fed him in this house, the more he slowly started to get used to their presence.
In Renee’s words, “After a few weeks of feeding, I could finally touch him while he was eating. But as soon as he finished his food, he didn’t want to be touched.”
However, it wasn’t long after this that Ziggy suddenly stopped resisting when they touched him, and that was a cause for concern.
This is because the couple discovered he had been seriously injured so they took him to the vet, where he underwent surgery before being vaccinated and chipped.
After this episode, the couple took him home. After a few days of keeping him isolated, they decided to try and introduce Ziggy to their others cats, Gerrie and Loki.
We can see how that meeting went in the TikTok but suffice to say, it was completely adorable.
From then on, Ziggy has been able to move in from the little house outside to what is now his forever home.
As Renee put it, “He started to trust us more day by day.”
h/t: The Dodo
