The cat sat on the lap

The cat sat on the lap

Ked in his happy place.

ByTelford Vice

We've been to Türkiye several times over the years - for the people, the places, the food, the wine (they make their own; it's delicious), the history. And the cats. They're everywhere. Importantly, they are not strays. Instead, they're free. People take care of them but they are not owned. They come and go as they wish.

The last time we were in Türkiye, staying on the small island of Heybeliada, a ferry ride from Istanbul, the old woman downstairs fed the neighbourhood's brood. She summoned them at mealtimes by yelling the Turkish word for cat out of her window: "Ked!"

She made such a colourful impression that we decided our next cat would be called Ked. He arrived in 2024, and he's this guy:

The cat sat on the lap — photograph by Telford Vice

KED is not alone. We've had Doosra, the tabby, from 2011 and Stevens - yes, Cat Stevens - from 2020:

The cat sat on the lap — photograph by Telford Vice
The cat sat on the lap — photograph by Telford Vice

DOOSRA was diagnosed with diabetes in 2023. We need to inject him with insulin twice a day. Neither of us enjoys needles, but it's easier with a cat - grab a handful of the fur on the scruff of his neck, lift the skin slightly, and administer the jab. You don't see the needle going in, what with all that hair. Happily, since Doosra been on insulin he has regained much of his old energy.

Stevens is serious and sensitive. I also call him Emocat. Or Kung Fu Panda. He is such a gentle soul, who bolts for the nearest cupboard when the doorbell rings. He can think of nothing worse than a trip to the vet for a routine checkup. So much so that the v-word is banned in our home. Instead we talk about "the V-E-T."

Stevens and Ked get along famously, chasing each other around the place furiously and tumbling around the floor in play fights. Doosra sometimes involves himself, but mostly prefers to keep an eye from a safe distance.

Ked was found in a cardboard box along with his two female siblings and their mother, who had died. He is ridiculously playful and the sweetest cat I have yet met. He tends to follow us about, and loves nothing more than an empty lap.

I took several pictures of him on my lap in April, while I finished writing Marais Erasmus: The Rock 'n Roll Years. Cricket in an Umpire's Orbit. If you like, you can buy the book here.

The point of the pictures below isn't to capture Ked at his prettiest. It is to marvel at the magic of a curled up cat who has chosen your lap to show off his specialness:

The cat sat on the lap — photograph by Telford Vice
The cat sat on the lap — photograph by Telford Vice
The cat sat on the lap — photograph by Telford Vice
The cat sat on the lap — photograph by Telford Vice
The cat sat on the lap — photograph by Telford Vice
The cat sat on the lap — photograph by Telford Vice
The cat sat on the lap — photograph by Telford Vice
The cat sat on the lap — photograph by Telford Vice
The cat sat on the lap — photograph by Telford Vice

SO, one more time with feeling, here's Doosra in pensive pose:

The cat sat on the lap — photograph by Telford Vice

AND Stevens in full yawn:

The cat sat on the lap — photograph by Telford Vice

AND here's Ked in all his cuteness:

The cat sat on the lap — photograph by Telford Vice

© 2026 Telford Vice. Words and photographs.