Both Ceren Kiran Tatli and her husband are passionate animal advocates; as a result, they do their best to provide food and shelter for the stray cats who live in their neighborhood in Turkey.
They always keep an eye out for new cats that could be in need of assistance and do all in their power to locate new homes for as many cats as they possibly can. Early in 2015, the couple was out on one of their routine walks in their neighborhood when they came across a cat they had never seen before. They quickly realized that the unfortunate street cat was both deaf and blind, and they felt terrible for the animal.
According to what Tatli shared with The Dodo, “We saw him walking in the snow, looking for food and running away awkwardly from other cats and cars.” “We called out to him and [tried] to get close to him but, due to the fact that he is a very talented escape artist, we were unable to.”
Tatli never stopped looking for the cat after he had first seen him because he was so determined to find a way to assist him. She was successful in locating him on many occasions and even managed to approach him, but he was too terrified to realize that she was trying to assist him and always managed to get away. At some point in the future, he stopped coming around, and Tatli always wondered what had become of him. After a few months had passed, he made another appearance, and unfortunately, his condition had deteriorated to a great extent.
According to Tatli, “in April 2015, we saw him again; this time his health had become worse, and [he] had a broken leg, and [he] did not have the energy to struggle any more.” “I still have no idea how he survived, found food and water, and avoided cars in that busu neighborhood,” said the speaker. “I still have no idea.”
After finally getting him under their care and making him feel comfortable, the couple fed the cat a delicious meal before rushing him to the veterinarian. Theu came to the conclusion that they would call him Yoda, and they put all of their faith in the ability of the veterinarian to save his life. After a number of trips to the veterinarian and the removal of one eye, Yoda was finally able to begin the path to physical recovery; however, the journey to emotional recovery took far longer.
Despite the fact that Yoda had complete faith in his new family from the very beginning, he was nonetheless quite anxious at his new place of residence, and he approached every situation with the utmost caution. It took him some time to get used to the idea that no one in his new home would ever injure him. He had previously lived on the streets, where he was required to always be on guard against any threats.
According to Tatli, at first “he used to go very slowly around the house because he was afraid of any other cats [who] may attack him out of nowhere.” “Our other cats were afraid of him as well; you couldn’t understand why he didn’t change his direction whenever you encountered him, for example. They couldn’t understand why he didn’t change his direction. It’s possible that Theu mistook him for an extraterrestrial creature rather than a cat.
Obi, one of the couple’s cats, eventually warmed up to Yoda and realized that he wasn’t really that scary; he simply couldn’t see or hear properly. Yoda was only blind and deaf. As soon as Yoda realized he had a friend on his side, he started to relax. After Yoda had been living in his new home for a year, his self-assurance began to gradually become more apparent.
Now that Yoda is the head of his family, he enjoys nothing more than tearing through his home while playing with all the toys in the galaxy. He and Obi are always playing together, and Obi is well aware that all he has to do to signal to Yoda that it is time to play is tap him on the paw with his own. Yoda always plays along.
Tatli will also use touch to let Yoda know when she is close by, and as a result, Yoda has taken to tapping his mother with his paw whenever he needs anything from her. He is demonstrating to everyone that the fact that he is blind and deaf is not enough to hold him back.
“Yoda has a personality that is equal parts independent and affectionate,” Tatli said. “He does not need any assistance with anything at all. I have no doubt in my mind that he does not consider himself to be in any way unique from the other cats. He is veru confident. He seems to be under the impression that he is not lacking anything at all, and that he is free to engage in whatever activities he chooses, whenever he chooses to do them. He takes care to ensure that we comprehend it as well.
When Yoda lived on the streets, he barely managed to stay alive, but now that he has a home of his own, he is content and secure, and he can go about his day without feeling threatened, the way he was always supposed to.
“The more we get to know him, the more we fall in love with his vivacious, adventurous, and independent attitude,” Tatli said. “The more we get to know him, the more we fall in love with his smile.” “He helped us see beyond his impairments and concentrate on the positive aspects of the situation. We realized how much beauty there is in the everyday world thanks to the lessons he taught us.