Need help - street cats in Haifa, Israel

Hi everyone,

I signed up for these forums because I need your help. This post will be a bit lengthy so I apologize in advance.

I am recent university graduate that's working in Haifa, Israel for the summer before moving on to start my PhD back in the US. It wasn't long that I was here in Israel before I noticed three things

1) There a lot of street cats in Haifa

2) Most of them tend to garbage dump and are in poor physical health (e.g. very skinny, bruises and cuts)

3) People in Israel tend to be hostile towards these cats. I have been yelled at by people while feeding some of these cats. I even heard of some people often spreading poison at feeding spots to kill them (this is illegal, but according to people I've met people tend to turn somewhat of a blind eye to it). 

It didn't take long before I was honestly just too heartbroken to not do something about it. I've began feeding some of the cats near where I live (about 4-6) some tuna, dry cat food, water and milk. Here are some pictures of the feeding spot I've set up and some of the cats eating. There aren't that many cats in the pictures because they typically tend to hide while I am close to the feeding spots, and only about 2 of them are comfortable enough with me at the moment such that I was able to get a picture of them. 


This is costing me about 160NIS per week (Israeli currency. It's about $45 USD) and given that I am paying for this out of the little college savings I previously had (I am on a very tight stipend from the university I work for) I don't know how long I can keep this up. If it comes down to it, I can cut the tuna out of the meals I am feeding them to lower the costs but I would honestly rather eat less myself so I can continue feeding them a solid meal a day.

Anyway, that's my situation. Now here's where you guys come in:

- I am using my free time to read up on what I can do, but I am still completely new to this so any piece of advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated

- I would love to volunteer for organizations so that I can help here in Israel, and I am currently looking into this, but if anyone can point me in the right direction or give me advice regarding this I would appreciate it

- I am not entirely sure if I can ask for financial support here, but if I can: any donation would be greatly appreciated and I will personally call you to thank you (unless you don't want me to). I will also update this thread with pictures of anything I buy using donations. I really don't need a whole lot since I am only here for 2 more months so with the current budget my total expenses will be about $400, and any additional money I get I will return to you, spend on additional food or donate to a local cat shelter here in Israel (your choice).

Anyone that wants to personally get in touch with me, feel free to send me a private message. I would be more than happy to talk to you about my situation.

Thanks for reading the long post, and I look forward to everyone's replies!

From the Mod Team Regarding Pleas for money:

Cats are a huge responsibility. Anyone who thinks otherwise, should not have one in their life. They are dependent on us for everything from providing a place to eat, to also providing vet care.

Anyone who has cats knows that they can and do get ill. Your best defense is to plan for that to happen before it does, and store monies away in preparation.

If you read about a plight of an animal on the internet and your heart is drawn to help. Check out the story thoroughly. Google the vet's name or call Directory Assistance in the city and be sure this is a legitimate claim.

Do not blindly send money into a paypal account no matter how heart-wrenching the story. Instead reach out to the member and ask for the vet's name and phone number, and arrange to send the money there for the specific needs of the cat in question.

If that information cannot be provided- you have your answer. Report the post to a moderator so that it can be removed for not being on the level.

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Note that this is not directed at anyone personally. The mods post this notice in all threads that are asking for money.

First, thank you for caring about these strays and trying to take care of them.

While I can't offer too much help overall, I can safely tell you to cut out the tuna from their diet, and therefore save yourself some money.  Contrary to popular belief, seafood is not very good for cats to eat.  A lot of them have high mercury levels, are contaminated by ocean pollution, and many say it isn't part of their natural diet anyway.  Tuna, are particularly poor choices as they are high up on the food chain - eating other smaller fishes with these problems so they tend to be even more contaminated.  Given in high amounts it leads to certain vitamin deficiencies as well. Last, they will sometimes get addicted to the seafood at the expense of then refusing other more nutritious food.  So, really it's in their best interests - and your wallets too, not to continue feeding them it.

Also, cats do not need milk.

I think there was another post very recently from someone else in Israel, so you may want to take a look for it.  There might be a local organization which could help, get them neutered at least so they don't reproduce.  

I'm sure others will chime in with their comments and help.

Thanks for the advice and the kind words!

I'll take your advice into consideration and will look more carefully into the food I should feed them from now on, although if anyone has any suggestions on how to do this on a budget that would be appreciated! I don't mind cooking if it's needed by the way.

I am currently looking at local organizations for neutering/spayed. I'll let you guys know what I find.

Also, my apologies for not posting this on the SOS forum first. I am new to the site and was unsure where the post should go.

I am cutting this from a post from someone who resides in Israel.  Perhaps it will give you some  very helpful information..particularly the part in RED:

"Sigh. There's literally an endless stream of homeless cats in Israel. The weather makes it possible for ferals to multiply in numbers very quickly with females having two and even three litters every year. That means any no-kill shelter is quickly swamped by kittens and can rarely take in new cats.

The largest shelter/sanctuary currently in operation is called Girgurim (literally: purrs) and it's located halfway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Here's a link to their page in English -

http://www.girgurim.co.il/site/detail/detail/detailDetail.asp?detail_id=1242955

There's the Cat Lovers Society but they're in Haifa, so not sure if they can help (you could try) -

http://www.isracat.org.il/english

I also found the Jerusalem Street Cat Association. I can't get the link to their English website to work but their phone number is: 052-8701277 If you can read Hebrew, their page is here -

http://www.jerusalemcat.org"

I do agree that you could save some money and just feed kibble and give them fresh water each day.  If you buy large bags of kibble, you should be able to feed them on much less than $45 per week, however, that's IF you can buy large bags.  ('course, I'm basing this on what's available in the U.S.)

Thanks for pointing out the post. I will be in contact with the Haifa shelter as soon as I get a chance to see how I can help out.

And you are right, if I cut the tuna it ends up being a lot cheaper. My only limitation is that I don't have a car so it's hard to carry back large bags of kibble, but maybe I can get a co-worker to help. I will also work on getting a more decent feeding post going since right now I am just using plasticware which tends to get blown over by the wind. 

I'll make sure to keep you guys updated on any information I find out since maybe it can help someone in the future.

This with some people being hateful against feeders is not so peculiar.  Feeding the hungry is really good only if combined with spaying (=TNR) or adoption.  If you just feed, they tend to get multiply and more. And, if you dont keep the feeding station tidy and in good condition, it attracts also rats and sea gulls.  Or at least, that is what folks thinks.

Frankly, our advice is, if you dont plan on TNR or adopt, consider NOT to feed them.

I presume you are of Jewish ancestry?  So you surely know the jewish proverb:

It is a good deed to give the hungry beggar a meal, but it becomes a very god deed firstly when you learn that person a trade too (or in a different version, learn him to fish), (so he can manage on his own).

So, cooperate with a TNR-group, and explain to everyone you meet you are part of a TNR-programme, so what they call for problems will soon be less, not more.   

Although Im a little surprised the Israelis as group arent very cat friendly.  The first part of Bible, is full of examples where people are told and demanded to give good care to animals.   I really think it is the only religion who is so.

The story from the second part, where Jesus is talking about the shepherd, who although has 100 perfectly healty and happy sheeps, do makes his outmost to find out, save and carry back the lost sheep who got astray, is a verry jewish story.  That is why he used it, and it was perfectly understood. That was his and their daily reality, it was what they did.

Good luck in your quest!

Such a hard situation!   As much as I hate to say it, I think you should carefully weigh whether feeding them is the right thing to do - maybe consult with that local rescue group on their thoughts.   Think of what happens in two months when you leave when they've become accustomed to regular food and trusting a feeder in that particular spot and then it's cut off?   I don't think there is any "right" answer it is a hard situation no matter what you do.   Still, if you could get a few of them, especially females TNR'd before you go that would give them lasting benefit and prevent new lives form being born into a difficult place.

Have you considered contacting the Ministry of asgriculture? In Judaism it is against our valued and beliefs to harm any animal and one must always feed our pets before we ourselves eat so I do boy see this as a cultural issue -but as people who are bad!! There are some rescue groups in Israel. Cats seem to fare better indoors most Israelis believe in keeping cats inside. Except on some mishavim and kibutzim. The Israeli Cat Lover's Society runs a shelter in Haifa and there is the equivilent of an docs there too. Yhrte is a third no kill shelter in Haifa. I am sure they'd welcome your help! http://www.isracat.org.il/english. Let the Animals Live Haifa Tel: +972-4-222-874 [email protected]. http://www.letlive.org.il/eng. Haifa Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Ani mals Shelter at Moshe Dayan 52 P O Box 5334, Mifrad Haifa. Shalom!

i meant equivilent of spca...sorry! English is not my 1st language -not even my 2 nd actually!

Btw, the Cat Lover's Assn in Haifa seeks ppl who witness anyone poisoning a cat to come forward. They need ppl to testify and since you would not be staying there once your studies are over, your situation is excellent.bit is illegal and I have personally discussed this with the Justice Minister herself a cat lover and a vegetarian. Again, thanks, good luck with your studies and shalom!

I had to add -El Al refuses to fly animals designated for experiments.

It can be quite challenging situation, especially if no chance to neuter them.

As you probably know, nature is self adjusting system, where animal population varies according to amount of food available and also other living conditions, more food more litters, more animals.

Introducing more food to area, increases number of litters, which increases number of cats and when you are gone there is more of them, unless TNR.

Why local people are angry then, is because doing good can be doing bad, more sick animals to cause more infections to their local pets for example.

Thus without neutering feeding can actually be worse thing than not feeding, this is why neutering should be first priority, feeding second and that IS hard, heartbreaking truly, but that is why they say nature is harsh.

Poisoning cats is of course much much worse and it actually can work against wishes of those that poison those cats as cats learn to avoid feeding places and people's offerings, they become harder to trap and even sicker, number can first go down, but as food sources allows there will be more of them soon and ones that won't eat poison or get into traps and only thing poisoning has done is made situation worse.

Feeding can make them easier to trap and setting up TNR routine to area with some local association would be best route, imo. However how possible that route is? That can be of course impossible, if that is impossible, then I would think best would be not to feed as that way it would be smaller number of cats that do suffer in next years (more food, more litters, more cats, more ones that suffer when amount of available food decreases).

So that is why doing good can be actually doing bad and that can be very very hard to accept, emotionally very stressful situation and one that might not have good choices left, so one might need to choose one from two evils.

I do hope that some form of TNR would be possible to build up, even those that poison cats might support it if they would be educated about how things really work in nature and with cats, but that can be impossible, especially if information comes one that fed cats, for them such person is enemy that is not to be trusted, well quite often is so, which is sad, but people rarely are rational about these things and their emotions leads them astray.

But as you are going to start PhD, you must know something about scientific methods, now reading things like feeding cats can feel very wrong, but I recommend to put emotion aside and think about it methodically, how plausible are claims, how likely are claims based on how scientific knowledge describes variability of animal population in nature?
In my opinion feral colonies are similar to wild life populations in there how size of feral population varies.

It is sad situation, but keep also in mind that you did not create the situation, also that it might perfectly be out of your hand to be able to affect to situation much, but do try start TNR with local association, I think that would be only thing that might do some long term good in such situations and especially keep population at level where feeding might be possible in long term, which it won't be without TNR as feeding expenses would keep increasing with number of cats if not neutered.