The Ministry of Agriculture will budget 2 million NIS for medical treatment of stray cats in order to improve their welfare | This is additional support for stray cats, which adds up to NIS 4.5 million
The Ministry of Agriculture will budget 2 million NIS for medical treatment of stray cats in order to improve their welfare. This is additional support for stray cats, which adds up to NIS 4.5 million.
According to the estimates of the Animal Welfare Division in the Veterinary Services at the Ministry of Agriculture, there are about one million stray cats in Israel. Despite high mortality rates of puppies (75-95%), similar to many countries in the world, the presence of cats in public spaces is a widespread phenomenon in Israel, due to the abundance of available food, the high breeding capacity and the abandonment or wandering of domestic cats. These cats, even when partially cared for by different people, are exposed to a variety of injuries and diseases.
The treatment of this phenomenon is indeed covered under the responsibility of the local authorities, but for several years the Ministry of Agriculture has allocated budgets in order to encourage authorities to deal with the phenomenon, thereby mitigating its various consequences, including harm to the well-being of the cats themselves who are more exposed to the dangers of the street (vehicle injuries, hunger and thirst, heat and cold and more); as well as damage to the population of wild animals hunted by them and the quality of life of the residents.
The ministry’s new program of NIS 2 million is intended to participate in the financing of medical treatment for sick or injured cats and their return after treatment to the area from which they were taken or to another appropriate setting. The scope of the support will be given for the financing of medical treatment for a stray cat in relation to the size of the population in each local authority, along with other conditions.
This support joins the previous support published a few months ago in the amount of NIS 4.5 million, within which assistance is given to perform sterilizations for local authorities in socio-economic level 7 and below of the CBS.