Museum


Once capital of the Eastern Roman and Ottoman empires, Istanbul has become a very busy port for merchant ships throughout history. Having Golden Horn as a natural port and Bosphorus as the only connection of Black Sea to Mediterranean, the city attracted thousands of merchants from all around Europe, Asia and Africa.

Trade Routes, Colin McEvedy’s The Penguin Atlas of Medieval History, pg. 43, 59, 73, 89

A 1537 map of Istanbul by Matrakçı Nasuh, depicting the city and the sea in a simplified, historic illustration style.

İstanbul, Matrakçı Nasuh 1537 İstanbul

Since the first time Phoenician sea traders started to have cats on board to control rodents, “ship’s cat” has been a common feature on many trading, exploration and naval ships dating to ancient times. The anchored merchant ships were staying at the port a few weeks minimum and this busy maritime traffic kept the city’s cat population always high.

Unlike the Catholic church in medieval Europe, the Orthodox church and Islam were quite tolerant of the felines. People of Istanbul in all periods have been in contact with street cats that were spreading to the city from the port. This timeless connection brings us today’s metropolitan city with countless cats and countless cat lovers living in it.

Photo of a small, black and white kitten on an Istanbul street, hiding its paws and looking directly at the camera.

It’s amazing and normal to encounter different stray cats every day on your way to work, school, or home, to witness mothers caring for their kittens, males searching for a pair, or fighting for a territory. Their natural attraction transforms into a hypnotic affection. Contributing to their survival becomes an inevitable task for the people. That’s why Istanbul is also the city of food and water cups placed on the streets. It is the city of Whatsapp groups collecting funds for vet expenses of random street cats in random neighborhoods. 

As Aponia Clothing Co., a local graphic t-shirt business born in Galata, we pet street cats since day one. With our start up project Cat Museum Istanbul, we aim to create cultural value for the city and financial value for the street animals living in it.

Our “M” logo will be presented in different business models to collect permanent profit which will be used by our initiative “Goodcrowd” to finance 3 topics:
– Healthy food distribution via shopkeepers and volunteers.
– A broader sterilization program.
– Fully equipped commercial vet clinics which will operate “free” for street animals.

Cats have inspired artists since ancient Egypt. Their beauty and character are studied in numerous forms of art and styles of artists all around the world. Our mission for the museum is to host one day the world’s largest collection of cat art in the city of cats. And to dedicate 50% of the profits of museum business models to the street animals in the city.

Cat Museum Istanbul Gift Shop Logo featuring an 'M' design that resembles a cat's head
Cat Museum Istanbul Studio Logo featuring an 'M' design that resembles a cat's head
Cat Museum Istanbul Patisserie Logo featuring an 'M' design that resembles a cat's head

The main museum building has been leased in 2022. It’s an 18th-century Ottoman-era building located at the heart of the old Galata district, Persembe Pazarı. This building needs full restoration. We know it is over our t-shirt business budget. But until the restoration project is funded and complete we decided to start the first version of Cat Museum at our 200 sqm studio in Galata.

In January 2024, we opened the first version of the museum with 62 artworks collected in 2 years. Works from artists like Henriette Ronner Knip, Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, Fikret Otyam, Joan Miró, Louis Wain, and more. In addition to these artworks, there are many cat-themed objects and antiques exhibited in our first version of the museum.

Your support with any purchase of any M logo product will be so much appreciated.

We project the museum as an organic entity that grows and adds notable artworks to its collection continuously.

This is just the beginning.

Fatih Dağlı
Creative Director
Cat Museun Istanbul