AİLEMİZ

ONE BY ONE – WHAT THEY LIKE, WHAT THEY DISLIKE? – (REVISED 18th of MAY 2026)

Home Cats

FITIFITI:

We call him Fıtı for short. He is a true gentleman. However, he has serious conflicts with Şeşbeş (the office cat), and their fights can get intense. Because of this, we usually keep Şeşbeş inside the office.

When outside, Fıtı enjoys napping in the shade under the trees to the left of the balcony. Or on the chair in front yard behind the roses. Occasionally, he wanders off. He used to travel around the kindergarden or the behind the “new” apartments (they were built around 2021) across the street. But over the past couple of weeks, he has started spending a lot of time around the university cafeteria. I suppose people there are giving him food that he can no longer find at home because of his age. So now we only let the cats out after 13:30 for their afternoon round. This way, even if he goes straight to the cafeteria, there are usually not many people around to feed him. I hope he eventually breaks this habit, because Tortor was partly lost last year due to people feeding him chicken and köfte. If you are in the kitchen, he will cry for food — don’t be fooled! He is quite the trickster.

You might notice a scratch under his left ear. It is nothing to worry about — he has a long-standing habit of scratching himself, and sometimes he ends up with small wounds. He is been doing this on and off for the last 10–11 years. While it is usually not serious, if the wound becomes deep, it might need attention.

Fıtı is also a senior (around 17-18 years old), so if you are short on time and can only give a little attention to the cats, please make sure to share some with him. He used to finish his food and then politely asks for second, but since he developed the habit of Cafeteria tour he is very picky on the food and doesn’t finish his plate and looks for something else. Recently he started to prefer “all dry food” (CD!) over the one that is mixed with tuna, no idea why!

SÜTLAÇ

He is the most vocal cat of the campus. I would say he has a vocabulary of 10–15 distinct sounds, each one suited to a different situation. He is not fond of other cats but he doesn’t get into fights with the Home Cats.

His true rival is Tarçın (the yellow-white apartment cat). Nowadays, they manage to be near each other without fighting, but it is unpredictable and always a bit risky. That is why we prefer to lock Tarçın in a room during the daytime and let him go out after the dinner and when the home cats are all inside.

He is the regular at the vet, unfortunately. He tends to get into fights with outdoor cats and, more often than not, comes out on the losing side. ☹ However in the last few years he get smarter. Not much incidents nowadays! 😊 He has two major health issues. The first is a lack of fluid in his left knee joint. That is why he tends to keep it angled outward while sitting or eating. He receives an injection in his knee every three months to help manage the condition and AthroVet daily. The second issue is more serious. You will notice a bulge (bump) on his abdomen. He likely lost part of the supporting tissue there due to a trauma around 10–12 years ago, but it went unnoticed at the time. As a result, some of his internal organs now press against the skin because the damaged tissue can no longer support them properly. Unfortunately, given his age, surgery or further treatment is no longer an option. We try to keep him as calm and relaxed as possible, because when he gets stressed or starts fighting with the other cats, he meows loudly and the bulge becomes more pronounced.

He used to run outside every morning, the moment the door opens. Nowadays, he only goes outside for short periods of time — most likely to pee and mark his territory against outsider cats — and then quickly comes back in to continue sleeping. He usually prefers the IKEA chairs in the living room for his naps. Right before bedtime, he can sometimes become irritated with the other cats because he likes to be left alone while sleeping. But once he settles down, he sleeps very deeply and comfortably. Another favorite sleeping spot of his is the small baby chairs in front of the window — his old favorites! If you cannot find him inside the house, check there first. Last year, he also liked hiding behind the TV from time to time.

When he is outside, he roams far and wide — from the Gürsel Bus Stop to the kindergarten behind the apartment. Last year his favorite spot was under the solar panels on top of the University Center (the building with chimneys across the street). But thanks to new cats that started using that location I don’t see him there anymore.

He likes to eat dinner separately, and the spot in front of the window is perfect for serving his meal. He used to jump there himself but nowadays I usually put him there for dinner. He is getting old. ☹

If he is ever missing around dinnertime, there is a chance he is accidentally gotten stuck in one of the nearby buildings, especially the C Block faculty apartments between here and FENS. A worse option is the University Center and the solar panels. ☹ You can’t pass the fence. I hope this won’t be the case. I myself was somehow convincing him to come closer and let me hold him above the fence.

ŞERO

He is the most special one! The one who eats more supplements than food! First of all, he has FIV, which means his immune system is very weak, so he relies on daily medication to stay healthy. Just eight-nine years ago, he was the most dominant cat on campus — no other cat stood a chance against him. But after he was neutered, his entire personality changed, and that is when he became part of our family. He later developed spinal problems, joint problems and urinary problems. That is why he already had many drugs/supplements daily. However, last Monday he suddenly became unable to move. He was also breathing heavily with pronounced abdominal effort, which suggested there was fluid accumulation around his lungs. The veterinarian immediately started treatment with antibiotics, diuretics, and other medications. Last Thursday, a cardiologist diagnosed him with Level C Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. At the moment, this is his most serious health condition. One of the main risks is the formation of a blood clot, which could be life-threatening, so he is now receiving blood-thinning medication as a precaution. He still has some fluid accumulation in his body, but fortunately the problem was detected early. Because of that, the cardiologist decided there was no immediate need to drain the fluid with a syringe and preferred to monitor it over time instead. He is also being treated with diuretics to help remove the excess fluid caused by the weakened heart function. Since last Monday he is getting visibly better every passing day. Now he can eat, he asks for food, he can pee and he can walk around. But he is still very tired and recovering.

He spends most of his time indoors, though he used to go outside occasionally before he had HCM. (So the following is his routine before last week. He is recovering fast so I believe and hope it is going to be his routine again soon!). He likes to sunbath his big belly in the front garden. He doesn’t go far. He is constantly hungry, so during mealtimes, we keep him separate from the others to prevent him from overeating, especially leftover food. Also, due to the urinary system problem we don’t let him eat any other type of food but solo urinary foods (dry or wet). Urinary foods are more acidic so that the calcification of his urinary gland is minimized. So, the stones won’t infect his urinary track. About six-seven years ago, one of his eyes turned amber, but it doesn’t seem to cause any problems. Because of his low immunity (due to FIV), recovery takes longer for any kind of infection than it would for other cats. While the infection appears to be gone, he is still on medication and urinary food for precaution.

He has a calm, gentle nature. He was the body and soul mate of Kocakafa while he was alive. But he loves almost all of the other cats, especially fond of Lily, Lokum, Bal and Pirinç — when they were younger, he was like a mother to them, grooming and playing with them lovingly. He is estimated to be around 12-13 years old, though no one knows his exact age. Like many of the other cats, he absolutely loves being brushed with the Furminator — the white one. In fact, it is probably the quickest way to win his affection and make him fall in love with you!

ÇARLI

Charlie became part of the family during the early COVID days. I am not exactly sure of his age, but he was likely around 3-4 years old when he joined us 6 years ago — so he is probably about 9 or 10 now. He is not aggressive, but he is quite anxious by nature. While he doesn’t hit hard, you should still be cautious — among the House Cats, he is the most likely to scratch if he feels threatened or startled (though the Office Cat, Şeşbeş, is in a category of his own!).

Charlie usually stays close to the building, so it is easy to find him when it is time to bring everyone inside. Most likely he is in front of the C buildings between our corner and the other corner across FENS. One important thing to watch for: he is very quick and loves to dart toward the building entrance when the apartment door opens. 😊

There can be a bit of tension between him and Pirinç, but neither of them is heavy-handed, so it rarely leads to anything serious. Because Charlie is also a bit intimidated by the other cats, we serve his meals separately in the study room to help him eat in peace.

KÖFTE

He is definitely his mom’s favorite — though TorTor used to be his main rival when he was alive, Bal has now become serious competition! These days, he is often out early in the morning and doesn’t return until late, but there is little need to worry — he is athletic and street-smart. Even when Köfte is not around, we don’t mind letting the office cat Şeşbeş out because he can handle himself just fine — at the worst he climbs the tallest tree in the front garden and Şeşbeş can’t! 😊

As far as we know, he gets along well with all the other cats — both the House Cats and the Campus Cats. We rarely see any scratches on him, which suggests he doesn’t get into many fights. He doesn’t beg or meow for food, but he has a healthy appetite. You can safely give him all the dinner leftovers, and he will likely finish them all. Again, Bal is competing with him in this regard as well! 😊

We found him when he was just a few weeks old, and Pirinç joined our family around the same time. Growing up together made them close friends, and they used to enjoy playing with each other. They are getting older now, and although they still get along, they don’t really play together anymore. He is now about 7.5 years old (We found him October 2019!).

PIRINÇ

He is the quietest of them all — you will probably never hear him meow while you are here. He is gentle and delicate in nature. He usually doesn’t finish his dinner, but he is content with what he eats. His new favorite place to nap is the pillows under the study desk in the study room, or the chair in the middle bedroom. If you invite him to sleep with you, he loves to snuggle under the blanket. Just be cautious — while he is soft-pawed, he does have strong teeth and might give your fingers a playful nibble! 😊

He joined our family mainly because of Köfte. Although Köfte is a few months younger, we didn’t have much time to dedicate to a single kitten, so we brought Pirinç in as a companion. He was found sick in FMAN and required a caregiver and we decided to take care of him while he was sick. That decision turned out perfectly — they grew up together, took care of each other like siblings, and are now good friends. But since Köfte spends the whole day outside, this bond is getting weaker every passing day.

Pirinç usually spends time near apartment C7-12 — sometimes even inside the building with the grayish female cat, Mırmır — or by the staircase area to the right of C13-18. Around evening, he’s most likely to be found in one of these spots. So if you can’t see him most likely he is in the basement of either C7-C12 or C13-18.

Like the other cats, Pirinç enjoys human attention too. In fact, nearly all of them will ask for at least 5–10 minutes of your affection each day (except Lokum!). Pirinç typically seeks it out at night and may jump onto your lap for some cozy time.

Interestingly, just like his role model Sütlaç, Pirinç also has some tension with Tarçın the apartment cat!

BAL

With his fluffy fur, beautiful face, and big paws, Bal is the most glamorous cat in our household. He often approaches you with his tail puffed up, hoping you'll give him some food.

Four years ago, he was taken to the vet after breaking his left front leg on campus. Due to a mistake during the first operation, he almost lost the leg — but thankfully, another vet corrected it and managed to save it. However, he still walks with a limp. In fact, you might notice that he sometimes lifts his injured paw to appear more pitiful when he wants food. After such an incident we didn’t want to let him leave the house and joined the family. By the way, almost all of the cats joined the family due to some sort of health problem!

As you can tell from his size, he has a big appetite and would happily finish any dinner leftovers. He has a very sweet temperament — no claws, no biting. He also has a psychological habit from kittenhood: he suckles on fingers. We try not to encourage it, but occasionally, he will try to pull your finger toward himself to suck on it. As I said, we are working on helping him forget this behavior!

He doesn’t stray far from the house. You can usually find him across the street near the “new” dorm buildings, or in the garden area between SUNUM and the house. But he mostly stays in the garden. Lately, he has been sleeping under the table on the front balcony. If you need to bring him inside, it is quite easy — toys and food are more than enough to persuade him.

LOKUM

Lokum’s story intersected with our family when I found him while driving on the road in front of campus. He was tiny—just a handful—hungry and sick. The day after we found him, we were scheduled to go on vacation. So, we left him at the vet and said, “If he survives, we will bring him back and release him on campus.” After about a month of treatment, he returned healthy and well. At that time, Bal had just undergone surgery and needed about a month of physical therapy exercises to strengthen his leg. We took Lokum into the house as a kitten to play with Bal—as a kind of feline physiotherapist. And from that day on, both of them stayed in the house. They grew up together. At the time, Bal was two to three times Lokum’s size, so during playtime, he would often sit on top of Lokum. Over time, they became friends who could play on more equal footing.

Lokum will likely be the last cat to warm up to you. Toys will probably help you bring him inside. You could try putting the living room cats in other rooms, then open the door and use a toy to lure him in. I think that might work. He will get used to things gradually.

He tends to go out early in the morning and comes back about an hour later. If the balcony door is closed, he will stretch up and make a motion as if to open it. If you open the door and step aside, he will likely trot inside.

He may not always finish his food, but if you are in the kitchen around 4–5 p.m., you might witness him jumping up on the table and pulling your hand toward him with his paw to ask for food. I hope you will manage to build a warm connection with him in this short time. It takes time, but once you do, you will get to see his truly sweet side. You will notice he has an issue with his furs. He is recovering from it and under treatment. That’s why he also received VetoSkin and VetoMune as a daily supplement.

LILY

Lily was a kitten who, in July 2024, joined the line of big cats in the water treatment area. Around August, we decided to take her to the center of campus so we could keep an eye on her until it was time for her to be spayed. Back then, we had named her Fındık (Hazelnut). She was supposed to stay at our place for one night and then be taken to Canan Hoca’s garden the next day.

But when we woke up in the morning, we noticed she was breathing with her abdomen. She had cysts in her lungs. She was too young for surgery, and her lungs were in very poor condition to be operated on. After a month in intensive care and 3–4 months of antibiotic treatment, she grew, and the cysts gradually disappeared. We were planning to do lung surgery along with spaying, but about 4–5 months ago, she only needed the spaying procedure, and now there’s no longer any visible problem in her lungs. She may occasionally cough, most likely because of fur buildup in her stomach from grooming herself so much. We give her medication for it, and after that the coughing usually disappears for a few months.

She is incredibly sweet, affectionate, and fearless. She has every other cat wrapped around her paw. She is usually the first to leave the house in the morning and comes back about two hours later, waiting at the door. When you open it, she will come in and head straight for the food. Staying indoors and napping has now become part of her routine too. In the afternoon, when you open the door again, she is also usually the first to go out. And in the evening, she tends to be one of the last to return. If she doesn’t return home late at night, most likely she playing & hunting under the bushes between home and SUNUM.

Lately, she has been catching butterflies and various bugs and bringing them home. Over time, she will likely start hunting lizards and birds as well. By the way, if you see a lizard in the house, it is probably Bal who brought it in. But if it is a baby lizard, chances are, it is Lily’s doing… :p

If you find her sitting by the bathroom faucet, she is most likely waiting for you to turn the water on so she can drink directly from the tap. You can also start it yourself by placing her near the faucet and letting her drink from the running water.

DOSTUM

She is the second female cat in our home. Actually, we first met her two years ago when she was still a kitten, on the day she was placed in the FASS courtyard together with Toyo and Reno. The three of them used to play together, were neutered together, and would line up together during our evening cat-feeding rounds around the lake, SuCool, and Artıma, between SUSAM, IC, and FASS. That is also where she got her name, Dostum.

Last August, she decided to move closer to the source of food. One evening she came into the house for dinner, and she has more or less been living here ever since. :) She is incredibly affectionate and very gentle-natured. She has no problems with anyone.

Back when Şero was still doing well, her morning routine used to begin by going into the kitchen with him and eating the mixture of CD dry food and U wet food together with Şero. In the evenings, she would join the others for KJ dry food mixed with tuna. But over the past week, since Şero has been struggling to eat, her own routine has changed a lot as well. In the mornings, since the attention is no longer on her, we do not notice it much, but she has been managing with plain KJ dry food together with the others. Honestly, because our focus has been on Şero, I am not even sure how much she minds the change.

Even after going outside in the morning, she still comes back home within about an hour. In the evenings, unlike Lokum and Lily, she comes home for dinner without causing any trouble, finds herself a quiet corner, and goes to sleep.

TORA

The latest addition to the house. Do not let her tiny size fool you — she is not a baby. That is simply who she is. Halfling /Hobbit Cat. :) Thus her nick name is Küçük Kelebek (Little Butterfly).

I think we first saw her last autumn in the garden of a veterinary clinic. We believe she is around three or four years old based on what the Vet has told us. The vet says the permanent damage in her eyes was caused by some kind of trauma, possibly a car accident, when she was very young. She can see, but not very well. She stayed in a cage for two years and last summer vet decided to let her go to the garden. She was doing fine but she I very delicate so I am not sure if outside is suitable to her.

We brought her home around November, I think. However, because she had persistent diarrhea and we could not solve the issue, she had to return to the vet for another month or two. After that, we brought her back home again. She is the only cat in the house who is not allowed outside. We are afraid because of her vision problems, and there are people on campus who like driving far too fast.

She is physically weak. She cannot really bite or scratch. But at the same time, she is surprisingly brave. Whenever the others fight, she puffs up her tail and jumps right between them. Somehow she always manages to scare everyone away — I honestly do not know how she does it.

She also has an adorably grumpy side. When something annoys her, she makes little angry noises. But since she has no real strength behind them, they never amount to much. :) She likes petting. If you let her to sit on you, she can even fall asleep in your lap.

We tricked her into believing that the outside world consists only of the “Kitchen” and the “Bedroom.” So whenever it is time for the other cats to go outside, we also “take her outside” by placing her in either the kitchen or the bedroom and closing the door. Once we bring the others back inside and close the balcony door, we “bring her back in” by opening the room door again. :)

Still, she does seem curious about the outdoors. Sometimes she runs toward the balcony door, and she has managed to sneak outside a few times. We even spent five or ten minutes wandering around the garden together on a couple of occasions. A few times she also escaped into the apartment stairwell. I think now that summer is coming, she is starting to wonder about the real outside world. But for now, she does not have permission!

Thankfully, her diarrhea problem now seems to be gone, and her appetite appears healthy. Of course, because she is so tiny, she does not eat as much as the others, but overall there does not seem to be any problem. Her favorite sleeping spot is usually the chair in the hallway.

APARTMENT CAT – TARÇIN

Tarçın was originally the cat of blocks A and B about 5–6 years ago. But after having problems with the cats that arrived there, he moved down to block C. At our home, he especially has issues with Sütlaç, Pirinç and Lokum so during the day we usually put him in a separate room. That way, he gets to have his breakfast, take a nice nap in a cool space during the day, and have his dinner in peace. After that, we let him back outside. Within an hour or two, he usually finds his way into the apartment shaft with the help of neighbors or climbs up to the window to remind us to let him in.

During winter, he stays inside all the time. But in the summer, he doesn’t really want to come in. These days, we usually find him sleeping on our balcony in the mornings. Although he has some tension with Sütlaç, Pirinç and Lokum it is not anything too serious. Still, to avoid any issues, we keep him in a separate room during the day. But if they all stayed outside together, we don’t think it would be a major problem.

By the way, over the past month or so, he has also started staying home at night. In fact, since last year, he has developed a much better relationship with Sütlaç and Pirinç, and they often sleep together in the afternoons — especially Pirinç and Tarçın, who usually share the study room during the daytime. Lokum still seems a bit more annoyed with him compared to the others, but overall I feel that Tarçın gets along better with all three of them as time goes on.

He is a big eater — actually, he never really has a problem with food. So in the morning we serve him dry KJ like others (separately in the study room or middle bedroom) and KJ mixed with tuna like others again in a separate room. After the dinner nowadays we leave her again!

OFFICE CAT – ŞEŞBEŞ

There are really two sides to ŞeşBeş — the office version and the outdoor version. Inside the office, he is extremely affectionate, always purring and completely harmless. But once he is outside, it is a different story. He becomes anxious and unpredictable. If I were you, I wouldn’t trust him outdoors — he can become aggressive and bite hard.

He has intense fights with Fıtı and Pirinç, so we make sure that when they are outside, ŞeşBeş stays inside. He also dislikes the sun and heat, so on hot, sunny days, he is usually hiding in one of the buildings — most often in FENS. If you want to guide him somewhere, playing with a stick or a long blade of soft grass usually gets his attention. Even in the middle of a fight, that kind of play can distract him and calm him down.

Originally, we planned to leave ŞeşBeş at a cat hotel while we were abroad. But we realized that if he is just going to be confined for two weeks, he might as well stay in the office. So, since it is too difficult to manage him, it is perfectly fine to keep him only in the office. Just change his water and give him food each day — that is enough. He may try to dart out when you open the office door, but offering a can of tuna usually convinces him to come back.

My suggestion would be to let Şeşbeş go out once every 3–4 days. He seems very happy in the office, and the air conditioning is a real luxury for him. You will notice that on warm days he starts breathing heavily when he is outside, so a short outing of about an hour every few days should be sufficient. On a typical day, as soon as I arrive at the office, I give him a small amount of dry food to help regulate his blood sugar, refresh his water, and clean his litter box. Then I guide him with a stick toward our apartment, where I leave him and return to the office and wait for him. Usually, about 30 to 60 minutes later, he finds his way back to FENS and comes to the office. At that point, I give him KJ mixed with tuna. That would actually be a good moment for him to slip out unnoticed, since he is usually a bit tired from the trip back and distracted by the tuna mixture. Another thing that I would suggest is the day you let him outside if you leave him alone returning to the office and doing your stuff in the office and waiting for him would be a good idea. Because when he returns and can’t find someone in the office, he starts walking around in FENS and fights with any cat he encounters...

That is to say, the house and the office are yours while we are away. Please feel completely at home — use the kitchen, anything in the fridge, or whatever else you need. We really want you to enjoy your time here, so feel free to do whatever makes you comfortable!