I come from a country that has stray cats (and dogs) roaming the streets. Some are probably cared for by kind people who give them food. But lots and lots of these animals are sick, starving, sometimes aggressive parasites that live on trash. Many look sickly or injured, and I doubt their lives are long or pleasant.

Is your claim that people in Turkey are so uniquely, extraordinarily committed to their street cats that the lives those cats lead are similar to the lives of pet cats in other countries?

Yes, almost exactly that (I’ve only visited Istanbul so I can’t speak to other parts of Turkey, but basically yes.)

The overall picture I got is that the cats of Istanbul do seem to be uniquely loved and well-treated compared to the street animals of other countries. They are welcomed, not seen as nuisances. They are immediately loving to people, not skeptical and skittish. They seek affection (and food), not just food.

Then why isn't Istanbul's cat population continuing to soar? If they are well-fed, they will reproduce normally, with the corresponding growth in their population. Human populations don't necessarily fall into the Malthusian trap, but animal populations certainly do.

So either cats and kittens are dying of accidents, disease and a lack of food, or they are neutered by humans. Like... it's not as though cats will have fewer litters if they get a college education and a career outside the home. A female cat will have 1-2 litters of 1-5 kittens every year, that's just how their lifecycle works.

The municipality spays and neuters, then places the cat/dog back to where they found them. For cats, they clip a small part of their ear and for dogs they put an "earring" on to prevent multiple operations. You can see if any stray animal is neutered yourself if you are ever around Istanbul.

It's in the article. Treating stray cats well is a feature of Muslim culture. It's true in other Muslim places too, not just Turkey. I've heard the same anecdotally about Mecca.