Sterilizing Street Cats and Kittens in Jerusalem
Donation protected
My name is Hindy Pearson and I’m a dog trainer and animal welfare advocate based in the UK. I am raising money for my Vets for JSPCA Israel program to perform mass TNR (trap-neuter-return) for the stray cats and kittens in Jerusalem.
There are simply way too many kittens that are born in the streets of Jerusalem every day. Sadly, there are even more kittens dying from starvation, dehydration and illness at the same time. This is the brutal truth and unexaggerated reality for the stray cats and kittens of Jerusalem. I have witnessed with my own eyes the horrendous problem – I saw it first 27 years ago when I lived in Jerusalem, and I saw it three weeks ago during our visit.
Can anything be more heart breaking than coming across sick, starving and blind kittens and a few adult cats living under a car next to a pile of garbage? Actually, there can be. It’s not being able to help. The only thing we could do was leave them food and water and walk away.
With an estimated feral cat population of around 200,000 in Jerusalem alone, it is considered to be the highest of any city in the Middle East – perhaps in the world. Kittens brought to the local shelter are killed because there are just too many, and it’s virtually impossible to find anyone willing to foster a kitten in Jerusalem, let alone adopt one. Cats are often mistreated as they are considered as pests by the majority of the population and the local government is not offering much practical support. No matter how hungry or sick a kitten is, it is ignored until it is either hit by a car, mauled by dogs or dies a slow and painful death.
Therefore, it is up to the rest of us to solve this problem once and for all.
The most humane and proven effective way to reduce the feral cat numbers, thereby reducing suffering, is through TNR. Cats are trapped, fixed and returned to where they were taken and cared for until they naturally die out.
Due to a shortage of vets to perform lifesaving spay/neuter surgeries, I created Vets for JSPCA Israel, in conjunction with the Jerusalem Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (JSPCA). This initiative has one goal in mind – to recruit volunteer vets to come to our spay/neuter clinic in Jerusalem and operate. Vets are responsible for paying for their own airfare, but there are still many costs to run this program.
Sterilization surgeries cost 150 NIS (roughly $43 USD, $59 Canadian, £35 GBP), but they are heavily subsidized by the clinic, and do not fully cover the cost of the medication and convalescence boarding. Other expenses we need to cover to ensure the success of this project include:
- Trappers to trap cats and transport them to the clinic for surgery, then back to where they were caught
- Purchasing of traps
- Accommodation for each vet
- A light lunch during their work day
- Pick up from and drop off at the airport
- Transport between accommodation and the clinic
All money raised from this campaign will be donated to JSPCA to cover the costs of the Vets for JSPCA Israel program. Updates will be made on my Animal Rescue Israel Facebook page , so you will know exactly how your contribution is being used.
There isn’t a moment that goes by that I don’t think about the stray cats of Jerusalem – the sadness of leaving them to a horrific fate and the frustration of being helpless. I went to Israel knowing what I would see, and I left with an unwavering commitment to make a difference.
With your help we can do it.
Thank you for your generosity. You cannot imagine how grateful I am.
There are simply way too many kittens that are born in the streets of Jerusalem every day. Sadly, there are even more kittens dying from starvation, dehydration and illness at the same time. This is the brutal truth and unexaggerated reality for the stray cats and kittens of Jerusalem. I have witnessed with my own eyes the horrendous problem – I saw it first 27 years ago when I lived in Jerusalem, and I saw it three weeks ago during our visit.
Can anything be more heart breaking than coming across sick, starving and blind kittens and a few adult cats living under a car next to a pile of garbage? Actually, there can be. It’s not being able to help. The only thing we could do was leave them food and water and walk away.
With an estimated feral cat population of around 200,000 in Jerusalem alone, it is considered to be the highest of any city in the Middle East – perhaps in the world. Kittens brought to the local shelter are killed because there are just too many, and it’s virtually impossible to find anyone willing to foster a kitten in Jerusalem, let alone adopt one. Cats are often mistreated as they are considered as pests by the majority of the population and the local government is not offering much practical support. No matter how hungry or sick a kitten is, it is ignored until it is either hit by a car, mauled by dogs or dies a slow and painful death.
Therefore, it is up to the rest of us to solve this problem once and for all.
The most humane and proven effective way to reduce the feral cat numbers, thereby reducing suffering, is through TNR. Cats are trapped, fixed and returned to where they were taken and cared for until they naturally die out.
Due to a shortage of vets to perform lifesaving spay/neuter surgeries, I created Vets for JSPCA Israel, in conjunction with the Jerusalem Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (JSPCA). This initiative has one goal in mind – to recruit volunteer vets to come to our spay/neuter clinic in Jerusalem and operate. Vets are responsible for paying for their own airfare, but there are still many costs to run this program.
Sterilization surgeries cost 150 NIS (roughly $43 USD, $59 Canadian, £35 GBP), but they are heavily subsidized by the clinic, and do not fully cover the cost of the medication and convalescence boarding. Other expenses we need to cover to ensure the success of this project include:
- Trappers to trap cats and transport them to the clinic for surgery, then back to where they were caught
- Purchasing of traps
- Accommodation for each vet
- A light lunch during their work day
- Pick up from and drop off at the airport
- Transport between accommodation and the clinic
All money raised from this campaign will be donated to JSPCA to cover the costs of the Vets for JSPCA Israel program. Updates will be made on my Animal Rescue Israel Facebook page , so you will know exactly how your contribution is being used.
There isn’t a moment that goes by that I don’t think about the stray cats of Jerusalem – the sadness of leaving them to a horrific fate and the frustration of being helpless. I went to Israel knowing what I would see, and I left with an unwavering commitment to make a difference.
With your help we can do it.
Thank you for your generosity. You cannot imagine how grateful I am.
Organizer
Hindy Pearson
Organizer
England
