Thank Heaven for people like you and for the Humane Society and ASPCA!

Hello all,

I traveled to Israel last week and was appalled -- mortified -- at the number of stray cats and dogs I saw roaming the streets, jumping in and out of dumpsters, and seeking shelter in doorways and under cars.  They were EVERYWHERE.  I wanted to say thank you to all of you who take your time, energy, and finances to help strays.  While I know there are organizations and individuals in Israel to spay, neuter, and feed these strays, the problem is so huge it would be like trying to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.  And to have prominent organizations working hard to help animals everywhere...how fortunate we are.  My trip has opened my eyes to how important it is to join forces with others and with organizations to try to help.  My summers spent volunteering at our local Humane Society will feel more meaningful on a broad, long-term scale. 

Thanks for all you do in your communities for the welfare of animals!

PawsAndConsider said:

Hello all,

I traveled to Israel last week and was appalled -- mortified -- at the number of stray cats and dogs I saw roaming the streets, jumping in and out of dumpsters, and seeking shelter in doorways and under cars.  They were EVERYWHERE.  I wanted to say thank you to all of you who take your time, energy, and finances to help strays.  While I know there are organizations and individuals in Israel to spay, neuter, and feed these strays, the problem is so huge it would be like trying to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.  And to have prominent organizations working hard to help animals everywhere...how fortunate we are.  My trip has opened my eyes to how important it is to join forces with others and with organizations to try to help.  My summers spent volunteering at our local Humane Society will feel more meaningful on a broad, long-term scale. 

Thanks for all you do in your communities for the welfare of animals!

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 Hi and welcome to TCS and thank you for taking your time to volunteer. Unfortnately it is sad when we see kitties in situations like you witnessed but just one person giving their time to help these babies makes a lot of difference.x
 

I so agree!  One person can make a difference in an animal's life.  So worth the effort! 

PawsAndConsider said:

Hello all,

I traveled to Israel last week and was appalled -- mortified -- at the number of stray cats and dogs I saw roaming the streets, jumping in and out of dumpsters, and seeking shelter in doorways and under cars.  They were EVERYWHERE.  I wanted to say thank you to all of you who take your time, energy, and finances to help strays.  While I know there are organizations and individuals in Israel to spay, neuter, and feed these strays, the problem is so huge it would be like trying to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.

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Part of the problem is surely, it is a warm country, so no dying off in the winter, the great manslaugher for the homeless cats. And litters possible around the year.  I suspect at least one litter a year more than here in the cold regions...

However, what is extra interesting, is, judaism as religion is very friendly to animals.

There are lotsa of examples on it in the Bible, esp Old Testamente. Lotsa.

Jesus tale of the good shepherd who although having 100 perfectly healthy sheeps at home, makes himself great troubles to seek and find the 101th who went astray, and carry it home on his own back in the darkness - the First Rescuer!  wasnt really not becuase Jesus was the first christian. He told it becuase his background was jewish, his audience was jews, and they would thus everyone understand exactly what he talked about...

But what we do really learn from your witnessing, Paws?

It is really not the religion which matter. It is the personality and  heart of the human in question.  Some do become rescuers, even if it is inconvenient, others not - even if they arent bad people at all and fancy themselves to be decent humans, even real "Mensch"...

So right, StephenZ!  I saw at least 2 obviously pregnant cats, and where I am from (Idaho), it's still too cold for cats to breed, probably.  One of the reasons I love and respect the Kosher laws is because there is an innate respect for the welfare and wellbeing of the animal that is being killed for food.  Maybe this is why I was so surprised at the rampant stray problem...I assumed that there wouldn't be a problem of that kind.  Was I wrong.  I did some research and there are rules in place that punish ill-treatment of the animals, and it's clear that they are helpful for the other problem I was surprised by -- trash.  There was trash everywhere.  The cats flocked to the dumpsters to eat the rodents that also flock to the dumpsters.  So clearly they are doing a "service" by eating the rodents.  Their primary suffering comes in summer when it becomes so hot that water is scarce.  But there were feeding programs in place if citizens wanted to set up feeding stations. 

I sure hate seeing animals suffer, no matter where it is.  So happy that people like you have a heart for them. 

I might be wrong..... And granted... I know nothing about Israel.... But the other countries I visited, there is a stigma that comes with spaying and neutering.... It is seeing as "Cruel", for males, as taking away their masculinity, for females, their "right to mother babies"..... It is a cultural thing, really..... Animals roam free intact, and that is not seen as a cruel thing - the breeding, the fighting, the hunger.... That is seen as "oh well"..... It is a fact of life, as you are not really, personally, I mean, doing it. But when it comes to the time of you actually taking them to the vet to get them spayed and neutered -YOU are harming/hurting and putting them through suffering, not just life itself.... Does that make any sense?
My mom (In Brazil) has had dogs all her life - while they do not roam, and never bred, none of them were ever neutered or spayed - and there is no way of getting through her.... And it is not like she is uneducated.... She has a pHd..... Same with my dad and the cats he had..... only one was spayed as he went on a long trip and she was going to stay at the girlfriend's house who had a garden - essentially, males could jump the wall in if she went on heat - but otherwise, he would not have done it. They just consider it putting them through unnecessary pain/suffering and a psychologically traumatizing experience.
There are no shelters, really..... TNR programs are in the very very beginning stages..... A spay in Brazil costs almost $300 and there is no low cost clinic - so really.... HOW to you begin to do TNR?
I think in a lot of countries there is the same kind of culture..... I am pretty sure that as far as Latin country goes, that is the culture you will find.... It is sad.... a huge wall to get through.....

Carolina said:

. TNR programs are in the very very beginning stages..... A spay in Brazil costs almost $300 and there is no low cost clinic - so really.... HOW to you begin to do TNR?
 

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There may be ways.  I know there are places, perhaps in USA??  where they do neutering males by amateurs. They are showed how to do it, train some, and the volunteers at the centra do it later themselves.  Of course not all, but among perhaps the 20 volunteers there are 2 or 5 who dare, can and do...

the other day I heard on the car radio a not so widely known fact.  In Africa, they have in some regions a sort of field doctors doing obstetric surgery.  Ie helping with difficult deliveries to women, making cesarean surgery if necessary etc.  these are NOT trained doctors, nor surgeons.  Just trained in some parts of surgery. In our example - the surgery of motherhood.  The point was - their statistic was very good. clearly comparable with that in decent african hospitals with surgeons.  And of course a whole lot better than in places with no medical care.

So, if enough desperate, there are ways.  It can be done.   It cant even be said they are doing it in spite of doctors / vets, nor instead of vets.

There are no vets / doctors...

Yes, it is possible to change.

StefanZ said:

There may be ways.  I know there are places, perhaps in USA??  where they do neutering males by amateurs. They are showed how to do it, train some, and the volunteers at the centra do it later themselves.  Of course not all, but among perhaps the 20 volunteers there are 2 or 5 who dare, can and do...

the other day I heard on the car radio a not so widely known fact.  In Africa, they have in some regions a sort of field doctors doing obstetric surgery.  Ie helping with difficult deliveries to women, making cesarean surgery if necessary etc.  these are NOT trained doctors, nor surgeons.  Just trained in some parts of surgery. In our example - the surgery of motherhood.  The point was - their statistic was very good. clearly comparable with that in decent african hospitals with surgeons.  And of course a whole lot better than in places with no medical care.

So, if enough desperate, there are ways.  It can be done.   It cant even be said they are doing it in spite of doctors / vets, nor instead of vets.
There are no vets / doctors...

Yes, it is possible to change.




 

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Yes, I guess they could if they were desperate..... But they are not..... Not when they think that they are being cruel to the animal in the first place..... This cost is on the top of the cultural problem. The issue there is two-folded.

Good point, Carolina. We had a member from Saudi Arabia in this forum asking how to help. It is ILLEGAL there to spay/neuter animals.

Paws... That must have been a very distressful trip to see such suffering of the cat's. I do not know how I would have handled that. We do have a member that comes on here on the feral forum from Saudi Arabia. She suffers so in her heart trying to help the endless amounts of cat's that come to her. It is so very sad to me that spay/neuter is not allowed because culturally they believe that is cruel and wrong. But which is more cruel. So very sorry for those cat's.... So many suffering.....

LDG said:

Good point, Carolina. We had a member from Saudi Arabia in this forum asking how to help. It is ILLEGAL there to spay/neuter animals.

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Right. And now I perhaps suddenly got an understanding why it is illegal there. Not because some peculiar thinking down there. But probably the authorities think THEY are the real animal friends. Forbidding the disgusting cruelty to animals, which they do all too often in America.

Not only declawing, but also spaying and neutering.  Horrible!

ps.  continuing to read the tread, I saw Feralv has a similiar understanding.

For what it's worth, the same cultural biases are in the USA.  It is culturally not acceptable to neuter male cats.  I am constantly getting new cats to my colony because the single family dwellings on top of my hill are owned by Latin Americans, and do not neuter their cats.

I feed Ritz raw so I'm go to international supermarkets for unusual cuts of meats and non-organ/organ meats.  Paradoxically, I always see cow testicals for sale. 

I'm going to Greece on vacation in early October, and have made preliminary arrangements to help feed stray cats in Athens, and help with TNR in Santorni.  (Santorini has no organized feeding of colonies as best as I can determine.)  Like the other posters have indicated, there is no shortage of food in Greece (seafood; tourists) and the weather is usually mild.  The better weight, the more likelihood that kittens will survive.

Paws,  that must have been the most horrible expierience  to go through for you.   I know it would have been for me.    Maybe if enough people like us see it, they will start an education program of some kind to try to get through to at least some of the people and maybe it will grow.  Ya,no like planting a seed?  Our ideas of freedom and fairness for all have started to spread because of the internet  so hopefully this will too.  Doesn't the ASPCA or the HSUS already have programs like that? I thought I read something someplace.  But anyway my heart  goes out to you for having to see that. It would have ruined my trip.  Everyone keep speaking out and maybe some day we will have a more loving and caring "Human Race" to both ourselves and our animals!    .

I didn't realize that some cultures/people feel that spaying and neutering is cruel.  That's a shame, because seeing pregnant cats wandering Israel was, to me, the picture of a cruel cycle that will continue.  I did some more research and found some organizations in Israel that are trying to help through sheltering animals, taking in the injured or ill, and trying to raise money for low-cost spay/neuter clinics.  MieshasMom is absolutely right.  We can plant seeds and spread the word, and slowly but surely we can bring light to the situation and perhaps create great change.  Another strange thing I saw in Israel was the sheer amount of trash everywhere.  In ditches, alleys, on rooftops, and simply thrown down the hillside.  This was my first trip out of the US, and some of my more world-traveling friends said that trash is a common problem in many countries.  So why, generally speaking, isn't it a problem here?  Well, I think, (in addition to factors like financial stability, regulations, etc.), the US owes gratitude to Lady Bird Johnson, who brought roadside clean-up into focus through LBJ's Beautification Act of 1965.  By bringing an issue into the public eye intentionally and vocally, we became aware of the problem and (generally speaking) have clean streets in the US.  Animal advocates can take a cue from her story to bring attention to the kind treatment of animals.  Every little bit helps.  We can make a difference, one animal at a time!

I read somewhere about a TNR program in Israel, and a Jewish leader said (finally!) In 2007 that spay/neuter is permissible under the Jewish mandate to prevent cruelty to animals (including cruelty by overpopulation, I assume). So I think some headway is being made in the numbers.

But just think--there are currently (according to the latest HSUS figures) about 4 million cats and dogs killed in U.S. shelters every year. Probably just as many killed by their owners (either at the vet's office or otherwise ) for being unwanted. Many more living in no-kill shelters/sanctuaries. So if it was culturally unacceptable in the U.S. to kill companion animals for population control or to keep them confined in shelters/sanctuaries, then we'd have just as many animals roaming free on the streets. . .just something to think about there.

Just because most of us don't have to see or even think about the unwanted animals doesn't mean that we have any less of a problem.

You make a good point, Willow.  I'm just so grateful that we have organizations that are working hard to contain a problem that hasn't spun out of control like it obviously is in Israel.  And I think because they work so hard, they help change the general public's opinion about the treatment of animals.  At least to some degree.