In Istanbul, Turkey, swarms of cats follow you wherever you go. This is because cats are very much respected in this predominantly Muslim society. Islamic lore tells of a cat thwarting a poisonous snake that had
approached the Prophet Muhammad. In another tale, the prophet found his
cat sleeping on the edge of his vest. Instead of shifting the cat, the
prophet cut off the portion of the vest that was free and wore it
without disturbing the pet.