By İrem Naz Duymuş (AMER/III) & Eda Emekoğlu (AMER/III)
nazduymus@ug.bilkent.edu.tr
eda.emekoglu@ug.bilkent.edu.tr
I heard that a new orange cat was spotted hanging around campus, going to dormitories and paying visits to students in distress. Honestly, I would love him to pay a visit to my dorm because I really miss my insane orange cat back at home. Did you know that I pet every single cat, calling them my own cat’s name? Sometimes people make fun of me for that, but I have no regrets because I really miss him.
Anyways, not only is this new member of the cat colony cute, but he also allows you to pet him—which is a thrill for the cat lovers out there. We all have our favorite cats around campus, but I think mine is changing because of this new addition. What eases stress better than petting the cutsie patotsie cats around campus while there are crisp fall leaves on the ground? Apparently, people of all ages have thought so for millennia: cats have been with us throughout history. Did you know that a domesticated cat was first seen 9,500 years ago in Cyprus, predating the famous Egyptian cats? In Cyprus, archaeologists found a grave in which a young cat lay near a human. What’s even more interesting is that cats’ domestication predated this grave, since Cyprus is an island, and cats would have had to have been brought there by boat. A cat cruising around a boat, journeying with merchants; I would have loved to see that. In other words, cats have been our friends for a very long time, long before their broadcast fame in ancient Egypt. Kind of crazy how we’ve lived amongst these cute animals for so long and essentially our relationship with them has never changed. We love to pet them and, consequently, they love to be petted and/or to take advantage of our food. I think of this relationship whenever I am attacked in Çatı, trying to eat my grilled chicken whilst the slightly fat, grey cat attacks it at the same moment. It is amazing how often I find myself gobbling my food, fighting for 50 liras worth of chicken. From a voyage on a boat in the Mediterranean 9,500 years ago to a leaf-strewn campus path today, cats keep finding their way to us, and we keep making room. If the new orange cat pads up to my door next, I’ll trade him the visit for a can of tuna and a petting.
I guess we should also name him, so if you come up with a name, make sure to send it my way. But, no promises—I am pretty sure I will still call out my cat’s name. Today, pet a cat, look closely, notice something you don’t usually see and have a puur-fect day.
