One of my favourite memories from visiting Istanbul:

We got a bit lost trying to find the entrance to the bazaar and were wondering around the nearby (very narrow) back streets. We hadn't seen anyone actually selling anything, but there was a cat in the middle of the path. I turned to my partner and, jokingly, said 'Do you want to buy a cat?'.

From nowhere, a small child appeared and said, in crisply enunciated English: 'No! It is my puss cat!', picked up the cat, and disappeared again.