Support Istanbul's Street Animals with Every Scoop at Peyra

Istanbul's Street Animals: A City's Most Beloved Residents

Anyone who has spent time in Istanbul knows that the city's Istanbul street animals, its cats and dogs, are not merely tolerated. They are beloved. They are fed by shopkeepers, photographed by tourists, named by neighbours, and mourned when they die. The street cats of Galata, Karaköy, and Beyoğlu are as much a part of the neighbourhood's character as the cobblestones or the tower. Istanbul's street animals have their own Instagram accounts, their own Wikipedia articles, their own documentaries. They are a civic institution, and they are also, in many cases, in urgent need of help.

The Challenge Facing Istanbul's Street Animal Population

Istanbul is home to an estimated 150,000 street cats and tens of thousands of street dogs. While the city's relationship with its Istanbul street animals is more caring and more culturally embedded than in most major cities, the animals still face real challenges: disease, injury, malnutrition, inadequate shelter in winter, and insufficient access to veterinary care. The city's municipal sterilisation programmes do not have the funding or capacity to serve the full population of Istanbul street animals, which means that community-based initiatives, feeding programmes, volunteer vet networks, TNR (trap-neuter-return) campaigns, are essential to the welfare of hundreds of thousands of animals.

At Peyra, we believe that businesses operating in Istanbul have a responsibility to contribute to the welfare of the Istanbul street animals who share our streets and our lives. That is why we built our social responsibility programme around them from the very beginning.

The 1% Model: How Every Purchase Helps

Peyra donates 1% of every sale directly to programmes that benefit Istanbul street animals. This is not a rounded-up donation or an occasional charity campaign, it is a structural commitment built into the business model. Every scoop sold, every baklava sandwich bought, every cup of sahlep paid for contributes a fixed percentage to a fund dedicated entirely to the welfare of Istanbul street animals. The mechanism is transparent: we track the total and publish the quarterly allocation publicly on our social media channels.

The fund supports three main areas of activity. First, feeding programmes: the purchase of dry food, wet food, and fresh water for the street cats and dogs in the Galata, Şahkulu, and Küçük Hendek neighbourhoods immediately surrounding the shop, as well as for broader Istanbul initiatives we partner with. Second, sterilisation campaigns: funding TNR operations that permanently reduce the Istanbul street animal population in a humane and effective way, in partnership with local veterinary clinics and volunteer networks. Third, emergency medical care: the fund covers urgent veterinary treatment for Istanbul street animals who are injured, sick, or suffering from conditions that would otherwise be fatal. This last category is expensive and unpredictable, but we consider it non-negotiable.

Our Names: Gatto, Kotik, Chaton

Peyra's menu carries three product names that embed the Istanbul street animal mission directly into the dessert experience. Gatto, our tiramisu-inspired gelato creation, takes its name from the Italian word for cat. Kotik, our strawberry gelato, means kitten in Russian, a nod to Istanbul's international connections and the universal appeal of the city's feline residents. Chaton, our third signature creation, is the French word for kitten, completing a trilingual tribute to the Istanbul street animals who inspired our social mission.

When customers ask about these names, and they frequently do, the answer opens a conversation about the Istanbul street animal community, about the 1% programme, and about the ways that a small artisan shop can contribute to the welfare of the city it calls home. Many customers report that learning about this commitment changes their relationship to the gelato itself: knowing that their purchase helps feed and care for Istanbul street animals makes it taste better, or at least makes it more meaningful.

Neighbourhood Volunteers and Community Care

Beyond the financial contribution, Peyra's team is actively involved in the daily care of the Istanbul street animals in the immediate neighbourhood. A fresh water bowl is maintained at the shop entrance at all times, refilled multiple times daily. The team participates in neighbourhood volunteer networks that coordinate feeding routes, monitor the health of specific animals, and flag individuals who need veterinary attention. Several of the shop's regular customers have become volunteers themselves after learning about the programme during a visit. This community dimension, the way that care for Istanbul street animals creates connection among the people who share a neighbourhood, is one of the things we are most proud of.

The Broader Istanbul Street Animals Story

Istanbul's relationship with its Istanbul street animals is the subject of global attention, the 2021 documentary film Kedi, which profiled the street cats of Istanbul and the humans who care for them, was seen by millions of viewers worldwide and introduced a global audience to the unique bond between the city and its feline residents. The Istanbul street animals depicted in that film are not isolated cases. They are representative of a culture of care that runs through every neighbourhood in the city, maintained by ordinary people who have decided that the animals around them matter.

Peyra is part of that culture. We are a gelato shop, not an animal welfare organisation, but the two identities are not in tension. Every time you visit Peyra, you are supporting the craft of artisan gelato and the welfare of Istanbul street animals simultaneously. Caring for Istanbul street animals is at the heart of what Peyra represents. We think that combination is worth celebrating.