Israel has a massive cat problem; there are roughly two million strays in the country. The British brought cats to Palestine in the past to combat a rat problem. But these cats repopulated uncontrollably. Because of the warm climate, a female cat could have three litters a year (around nine to fifteen kittens). Additionally, food is plentiful in major cities, where cats eat from open dumpsters and trash littered throughout.
But when these cats can't get to the trash cans, they turn to hunt, which harms Israel's ecosystem. These seemingly cute, cuddly cats are killing smaller animals, including birds, snakes, lizards, and chameleons. If the cats eat enough to damage their prey's population, it creates imbalances further down the food chain.
Stray cats are also hosted to various deadly and contagious diseases. One scratch on their bodies can turn into an abscess. For male strays, urinary tract infections cause severe blockages; their deaths are slow and painful. A cat with herpes, gone untreated, can go blind and eventually to death.
Despite such negative impacts, Israel has not taken substantial action to reduce the stray population. If strays keep reproducing at their current rate, they will exceed the Israeli population within a few years.
Israel would need to sterilize 80 percent of strays within six months to control the population.
Sign the petition to demand that the Israeli government immediately start working towards solving this problem by sterilizing the cats!
Tell the Israeli legislature that the world is watching!!
