Cats in Tel Aviv... and a bit around
Cats seem to be everywhere in Tel Aviv. Not the ones which just walk out of the house and explore the neighborhood. The wild ones, that live on the street. Tel Avivians have a love - don't care relationship with cats. On one side they feed them, you see leftover food in aluminum pans tucked away in strange spots. Even bits or cat food left at the same spot every day. Left alone, cats will find their way in the city, the play, fight, breed... Tel Avivians are not exactly sure if the breeding and multiplying aspect of cats is such a good idea. Not that they do much about it. But in the spring and most of the summer you see tiny furry newborn kittens. The majority consensus is that they will mostly die. Some from too little food, some from animal attacks, some simply are too sick or small to survive. The weather here is always fair, so cats don't need to find a place to keep warm. Even on the coldest nights the temperature does not go below freezing.
Cat nap on an artificial tree, North Dizengoff Street, Tel Aviv
Cats have a special status in Tel Aviv. They are left alone and city animal control officials essentially ignore them. Dogs on the other hand must be muzzled, leashes, and most of all owned, registered, AND TAGGED! But not so for cats. They just strut around, nap as they please, and curl up to a willing leg for some attention. If you ask most Tel Avivians about this strange situation you will get a range of answers. The most interesting is the absolute FACT that cats eat mice. Well, for the most part, this is not entirely true. Cats do chase the little critters and once in a while play and kill them. If you ask most pest experts they would probably not advise on getting a cat to get rid of mice. The other interesting answer is that cats are clean. There is an urban legend that cats do not carry communicable diseases and therefore we should not have any cause for concern. I think that most physicians and public health officials would tend not to push that point too much. But overall, cats are nice to look at. Tel Aviv has a good amount of birds, nice dogs, and once in a while you will see a bunny or a ferret in a child's room. But cats, are what this is city is all about. Oh, one more thing, this love affair with street cats is not just in Tel Aviv. Actually, when you look around in Givatayim, Ramat Gan, Hertzelia, and Holon, you are bound to find a great deal of cats. I worked for a while in the Hertzelia Pituach industrial area and early in the morning I would see cats everywhere. They were still on their morning walk before the buzz of the day started. In Givatayim you can see group of cats hanging out in parks and between buildings, specially in areas where they are fed regularly.
Cat nap on an artificial tree, North Dizengoff Street, Tel Aviv Cats have a special status in Tel Aviv. They are left alone and city animal control officials essentially ignore them. Dogs on the other hand must be muzzled, leashes, and most of all owned, registered, AND TAGGED! But not so for cats. They just strut around, nap as they please, and curl up to a willing leg for some attention. If you ask most Tel Avivians about this strange situation you will get a range of answers. The most interesting is the absolute FACT that cats eat mice. Well, for the most part, this is not entirely true. Cats do chase the little critters and once in a while play and kill them. If you ask most pest experts they would probably not advise on getting a cat to get rid of mice. The other interesting answer is that cats are clean. There is an urban legend that cats do not carry communicable diseases and therefore we should not have any cause for concern. I think that most physicians and public health officials would tend not to push that point too much. But overall, cats are nice to look at. Tel Aviv has a good amount of birds, nice dogs, and once in a while you will see a bunny or a ferret in a child's room. But cats, are what this is city is all about. Oh, one more thing, this love affair with street cats is not just in Tel Aviv. Actually, when you look around in Givatayim, Ramat Gan, Hertzelia, and Holon, you are bound to find a great deal of cats. I worked for a while in the Hertzelia Pituach industrial area and early in the morning I would see cats everywhere. They were still on their morning walk before the buzz of the day started. In Givatayim you can see group of cats hanging out in parks and between buildings, specially in areas where they are fed regularly.
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