No matter where you are in the city, you'll always see cats.
In Baku's Old City, cats perch on balconies, lounge in the shade of maples, and rest on almost every corner. Whether sunbathing, grooming themselves or sneaking into teahouses for food, cats have become an integral part of street life in Azerbaijan's biggest city.
These furry predators are so omnipresent that no one bats an eye at a cat pawing about them as if talking about a friend. Lingering near cafe entrances or snoozing on a nearby bench, storekeepers and locals often know their neighborhood cats by name and will tell delightful tales.
Historically, cats have been valued for their hunting skills and for keeping barns free of rodents. In Islam, cats are seen as a symbol of purity and they are allowed to enter homes and even mosques. In the hadith, the collected sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad, there are many examples of the prophet's fondness for cats. By one account, once the prophet cut a sleeve of his robe off to avoid disturbing his favorite cat sleeping on it.
But it is not just devout Muslims in Baku's mosques who treat cats like royalty. There are plenty of teahouses and shops all over the city with their resident cats that can occasionally be found occupying the best seats in the house.
Nonetheless, it's not always a pleasant scene when people come across these feisty creatures. The abundance of stray cats and no population control means some of them face illnesses, food scarcity and injuries. These are often distressing to see but paint an accurate depiction of their daily lives in Baku.
The biggest danger to Baku's cats seems to be injury from vehicles. As the days become shorter and most roads become more treacherous, autumn is the worst season for road traffic accidents, with young cats statistically being most at risk. Luckily, not all hope is lost!
"Money is not an issue to some residents when it comes to cats," said Ayan, a pet shop assistant. "Locals take in cats with broken paws, diabetes or ones with skin problems and bring them to the veterinary clinic."
In the bustling district of Yasamal, where the streets are lined with ceramic cat bowls, it is not uncommon for felines to take the last available seats in crowded cafes, leaving affectionate customers to stand by, petting them as they awake from yet another nap.
Barista Farid sits outside his cafe, tending to three cats in his spare time. He said that caring for local animals at a nearby park helped him through turbulent times.
"I started feeding them around two years ago," he said. "There's nothing like having a cat curled up beside you, even when you feel totally depressed. There is just something special about them."
When Boris Akunin, one of Russia's most popular crime authors, visited Baku to collect materials for his next detective novel, he wrote a little ode to the city, in which he implied that Baku was undoubtedly a city of cats rather than dogs. In the end, time spent with a cat is never wasted.
