Sisters Meral and Zuhal Kandemir provide for hundreds of cats in Kadıköy
Famous twin sisters of the 1970s, Meral and Zuhal Kandemir, known for the song 'Param Yok Pulum Yok' (I Have No Money, I Have No Wealth), are providing for more than 150 cats on the streets of Moda, Kadıköy. Stating that feeding cats has a positive effect on human psychology, Zuhal Kandemir said she believes cats bring luck and good fortune.
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Discovered by master songwriter and composer Fecri Ebcioğlu, sisters Meral and Zuhal stepped into the music world in the 1970s.
The twins' song "Param Yok Pulum Yok", which made their voices known, became a classic of the era as the soundtrack for the 1974 film "Uyanık Kardeşler" (The Wily Brothers), starring Kadir İnanır and Müjdat Gezen.
After a glamorous life in the past, the twins now lead a quiet life in Moda, where they care for 150 cats on the street in addition to those in their home.
Sisters Meral and Zuhal shared their bond with animals on February 17, World Cat Day.
Meral Ozan, one of the twins, said she has been caring for cats in Moda, where she lives, since 1990.
'I WOULD GO HOME AND CRY'
Expressing that she started carrying cat food in her bag after seeing a neighbor feeding cats with the then-newly released dry food, Ozan said, "From that day on, I started buying food for my bag and giving it to the cats I encountered on the street. Later, I put the task of feeding animals into a system. I started putting food in front of the door at regular intervals.
This caused discomfort among those living in the building. I received complaints like, 'Don't feed cats here, the place is full of cats.' I was so saddened by these complaints that I would go home and cry." she said.
Zuhal Şener Kandemir stated that she has been feeding cats since the 1980s, saying, "I started giving the leftover food from the house to the cats. I would go down 4 floors twice a day to feed the cats. But when the cats I fed were hit by cars and died one by one, my mental health deteriorated. I took a break for a while and left the cat care work to my sister Meral." she said.
Stating that feeding cats has a very positive effect on human psychology, Kandemir said she believes that cats bring luck and good fortune. Kandemir expressed that buying animals on a whim and then abandoning them on the street is irresponsible and heartless.