The cat, an uncanny creature, ate the food and then began to walk away, turning its head back as it went as if to beckon the woman to follow.  The woman followed the cat to a door that opened to stairs leading down.  They descended the stairs and entered a cave full of treasure—gold, money, jewels!  The cat gave the treasure to her and then disappeared, never to return.  The woman took some of the gold and went out to buy furniture, rugs, and other beautiful things for all four rooms of the house.  When she was done, the rooms sparkled like candles.

Expecting that she too had died, the neighbors soon came to remove her corpse.  But they found her alive, the picture of health.  She welcomed them in, but never told them about the cat.

Next her husband came to the house and knocked on the door.  “Go away you scoundrel,” she yelled.  “You kept promising to take me to Bandirma, but instead left me with nothing.  I don’t want a husband like you.”

So she lived alone with the treasure she got by treating the cat well.

The above story is probably an example of a poor woman’s wish fulfillment.  Most women are dependent on their husbands for a house and its furnishings.  Where and how a woman lives is her husband’s prerogative.  In this treasure tale, a woman, having been failed by her husband, strikes out on her own.  Despite her poor circumstances, she acts charitably toward a dubious creature, who rewards her kindness.

According to lore in the Susurluk area, two kinds of black cats exist.  One is a devil; the other an angel.  The second, which has a distinctive black mark on its palate, is the Prophet’s genus of cat.  It brings luck to a household.  But determining whether a black cat is a devil or an angel from external appearances is like judging a book by its cover or a person by her face.  Best to treat all black cats well.  The nature of the treatment may determine the nature of the cat.

By carrying out ordinary, daily activities in the manner prescribed by tradition, the Turkish folk engage in the sacred ritual of life.