The Universe Smiles Down On All Living Creatures

Summary

In Istanbul, a city known for its well-cared-for stray cats, a tender moment between a man and a kitten in a park is captured, symbolizing the harmonious relationship between humans and felines, and reflecting the broader communal care for these animals.

Abstract

The article describes a heartwarming scene in Istanbul, where stray cats are an integral part of the city's culture and are well-looked after by its residents. The city provides services such as mobile vet clinics and spay/neuter programs to ensure the cats' health and well-being. The author shares a personal experience of encountering a friendly kitten in a park, which happily jumped onto a visitor's lap, leading to a photo that seems to capture a moment of universal approval, as if the universe itself was smiling upon the interaction. The piece is a response to the "Collecting Smiles" prompt by Vidya Sury in the Six Word Photo Story Challenge Publication.

Opinions

The author believes that the cats in Istanbul, despite being considered stray, are not neglected but are instead embraced by the community.
There is an appreciation for the city's efforts in providing for the cats' needs through organized services like the mobile vet service.
The author perceives the interaction between the kitten and the man as a moment of harmony worth capturing and cherishing.
The article suggests that such interactions with animals can be seen as a reflection of a larger, cosmic approval or happiness, indicating a philosophical viewpoint on human-animal relationships.
The author encourages readers to support their writing by subscribing to Medium through their referral link, indicating a desire to foster a community of readers and writers.

A tender moment, man and kitten.

In Istanbul, there are a lot of stray cats, however, they are not stray in the way that you would think. The city takes very good care of its cats, and many citizens have built small houses for them in the streets.

Neighbors work together to feed them.

There is even a city-sponsored mobile vet service that travels around to treat sick cats for free if they need it. Plus it provides a spay and neuter program regularly.

At any number of parks and public places, there are cats hanging around and most are friendly toward people. In one park, in particular, there were a lot of kittens, and quite often we would go there to hang out with them.

On this particular day, the air was crisp and cool but we found a bench situated in the warm afternoon sun. In no time a kitten found us and jumped up to sit on my partner Chris’ lap.

I couldn’t help but snap this picture of him cuddling with this adorable kitten. It wasn’t until later that I looked back at my photos to find that it had turned out like this.

I like to think that the Universe was smiling down on our harmonious interaction with this kitten at this specific moment in time.

Thanks to Vidya Sury, for your wonderful prompt, “Collecting Smiles” in the Six Word Photo Story Challenge Publication.

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The Universe Smiles Down On All Living Creatures

November Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Collecting Smiles”

A tender moment, man and kitten.

Collecting Smiles: November Prompt

November Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Collecting Smiles”