Istanbul moves to curb ‘uncontrolled feeding’ of stray animals
ISTANBUL
Istanbul authorities have ordered all district municipalities to immediately halt uncontrolled feeding of stray animals, accelerate shelter construction and step up the collection of stray dogs, according to a new directive issued by Türkiye’s nature conservation authority.
Signed by Istanbul Governor Davut Gül, the circular warns municipalities that scattered feeding points across the city pose public health, environmental and safety risks, including rising rodent and pest populations.
It stresses that feeding activities will no longer be allowed outside designated areas, referring to risks in schoolyards, hospitals, places of worship, parks and playgrounds.
In addition to street feeding of animals, this new directive also calls for accelerating the collection, neutering and rehabilitation of stray dogs and for quickly completing newly allocated plots where municipalities are expected to build shelters.
This order follows Türkiye’s controversial stray dog legislation, which replaced the long-practiced “catch-neuter-release” approach with mandatory sheltering.
Under the Animal Protection Law, adopted in July 2024 and enacted later that year, municipalities must collect stray animals, neuter them and keep them in shelters until adoption.
The law requires local administrations to build or upgrade shelters by Dec. 31, 2028, though officials have repeatedly clarified that the obligation to collect and house stray animals is already in force and cannot be postponed.
Türkiye is home to an estimated 4 million stray dogs, yet there are only 322 shelters with a combined capacity of 105,000. Consequently, plans to establish shelters with a capacity for 4 million dogs by 2028, along with the means to provide food for these animals, raise concerns.
Move cames after cat warning
The move comes after Gül publicly criticized widespread street feeding during a televised interview, arguing that it distorts the city’s ecological balance.
“In Istanbul, cats don’t hunt mice anymore,” he said. “Cats are fed with kibble, and the mice eat from the same food. This situation needs to be rectified.”
Gül emphasized that the call is “not about rounding up cats,” but that feeding should not occur “wherever people wish,” warning that regular feeding turns public spaces into territorial areas for animals.
Istanbul, often called the "City of Cats" and playfully nicknamed "Catstanbul," has been home to hundreds of thousands of cats for thousands of years.
Residents of the city have set out food and water bowls and small shelters along the streets to care for stray cats. In 2016, the documentary "Kedi” —which means "cat" in Turkish and followed the everyday lives of several city cats — earned over $4 million at the box office, ranking it among the most successful foreign-language films ever.