A number of us have pets: dogs, cats, fish etc. But imagine a world where no being was owned by anyone and yet communities, families and individuals who coexist with animals while considering them to be their own children. This reality is true in the city of Istanbul, the setting for the moving documentary in Turkish called “Kedi,” directed by Ceyda Torun, about the cats that roam the streets of Istanbul. For many living in the city, the presence of the cats is inseparable from the essence of Istanbul.

Many of those interviewed for the documentary have admittedly adopted a maternal role to the cats who roam free; they nurse kittens with milk and take them to the vets as much as needed regardless of the dent it makes in their wallet.

The humans that are chosen by the cats to be their caretakers love and provide for the feline, and their mutual, unconditional love and bond grows. One of the cats the film focused on, for example, was lovingly described as a “vicious housewife” as she often puts her cat lover in the dog house. Despite this idiosyncrasy, those who have taken care of the cat are in adoration of her unflinching sense of freedom. Some cats were cuddle-obsessed and longed to be stroked with a brush. Some were talkative and could not prevent themselves from meowing in various cadences. Some were mothers who in addition to being nurturing were protective beyond belief of her young. Some were foodies who waited to be fed a homemade meal fulfilling a criteria for a particular palette. Some were mischievous and yearned for trouble with a naughty look in their eye. Some were gentlemanly and had “manners.”

There is a misconception that cats are incapable of helping humans–especially in relation to the ways dogs can. This film breaks down that stereotype as humans describe what all cats have done for them. A number of them admitted they would be in therapy if it weren’t for a litter of kittens living above their workplace who gave them a newfound meaning in life. One man described a situation where a cat gave him a great miracle by pointing him toward his lost wallet that drifted into the waters after his boat sank. Another woman admired some of the female cats for being so beautifully feminine. But most importantly, every person who spoke venerated the cats for reminding them of the joy of life and giving them something to live for.

Because of this attachment to the cats, many of the individuals living in Istanbul are concerned about their futures given the growing gentrification of the city. That said, they described the cat’s’ fate to be inseparable from that of humans; many were more fearful for the cats’ future than their own. This struck me. These people live selflessly. If something akin happened here in our rapidly growing urbanization, I doubt many would put the lives of other beings ahead of their own. If anything, animal shelters would be packed forcing them to put many little beings down.

Through the captivating cinematography where the camera often stooped down to the cats’ eye level, the audience was immersed into this world of seamless coexistence and acceptance between and among beings—which our society fails to achieve even among humans. And when the credits began to scroll down as the film concluded, I walked back into the brightly lit theater lobby missing the world I just had the privilege of witnessing, yet still in awe of this most stunning and touching film.