‘Kedi’ celebrates the stray cats of Istanbul

The prevailing sentiment, courtesy of a lady who runs a clothing store where one stray sets up shop:

“Kedi,” a documentary by Ceyda Torun, is a love letter to cat lovers (Kedi is the Turkish word for cat).

There are thousands of stray felines living in the Turkish capital, and they have been a daily part of the citizens’ lives for hundreds of years.

Some will allow themselves to be taken into private homes, as long as they can explore the neighborhood at will (the cats seem to be in charge, and the people of Istanbul are OK with it).

Cats, it seems, were instrumental to the early success of the Ottoman Empire, which was established in the 13th century.

Citizens often take it upon themselves to scoop up an ailing cat in their neighborhood and take it to the vet if they see a problem.

Or, as in this film, an unsuspecting fishing boat captain might find his vessel to be the place where a cat gives birth, staying there as she tends to her litter.

A younger woman, an artist, says the cats’ resilience help give her strength as a single woman.

G. Allen Johnson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.