?erafettin once again gives cats a bad name, in a good way

?erafettin is a celebrity in his own right. He is vulgar, he is foul-mouthed, he is an absolute misogynist. And he is unapologetic. Yet he has myriads of fans waiting for his return. ?erafettin has been the epitome of what is right and wrong in Turkey for two decades. After a long period of hibernation, he is ready to test his celebrity status, and hopefully gain new fans.

To those close to him, he is ?ero. For others, he is Bad Cat ?erafettin. He is Turkey's answer to Garfield, or Heathcliff, in an X-rated, alternate comics universe. Originally a strip in Turkish humor magazine L-Manyak in the mid-1990s, cartoonist Bülent Üstün's inspiring creation is making its screen debut in 3D animation, titled simply "Kötü Kedi ?erafettin" (Bad Cat ?erafettin).

A true thug of a cat, ?erafettin lives in Istanbul's Cihangir area, bringing trouble to everyone in his vicinity.

For those familiar with Istanbul, Cihangir is the neighborhood where narrow streets, cafes and thrift shops are dominated with artists, writers and intellectuals. It's also a safe haven for cats, who sprawl out in every possible place imaginable.

Üstün's creation is the underdog that refuses to be the underdog, the rightful owner of a neighborhood that doesn't tolerate the hip, the artsy and now the hipsters. The street cred he has is unique to his fellow anthropomorphic Cihangir dwellers: cats, rats and seagulls, other regulars of Cihangir.

?ero's arduous journey to screen

?erafettin's screen adventure has been in the making for a decade now. Co-directed by Mehmet Kurtulu? and Ay?e Ünal, with Üstün and Levent Kazak behind the story, the bad cat is now the star of Turkey's first PG-13 3D animated feature. ?erafettin's journey from print to screen was "a...