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1. Spay and neuter the cat population (pets and feral cats)
2. Provide medical care
3. Trace foster homes for catsw
4. Educate about cats and advocate for cats
5. Assistance for the under privileged
6. Rescue cats
7. Maintain a Hot line
8. Prevent poisoning of cats
1. The Society is very much against the extermination of homeless cats (which is a popular method of ridding Israel of cats. This is why we perform mass on-going spay & neuter operations in four ways:
A. Educate cat owners concerning how spay and neuter is a more humane control than extermination
B. Finance the spay & neuter of homeless cats and of cats belonging to the under privileged
C. Continue the subsidizing of the spay & neuter operations of homeless cats: Due to the high cost of spay & neuter animals in Israel, many cat owners refrain from spaying or neutering their cats. The kittens these cats have are generally abandoned. The abandoned kittens join the already large population of feral cats. These feral cats face starvation and extermination. This problem has driven the Society of Cat Lovers to act by starting a spay & neuter operation which has proven to be a great success. Cat owners turn to the society for this service out of trust. In June of 1998 the Mayor of Haifa finally agreed to cooperate with this initiative and allotted for it a grant which enabled the society to spay & neuter nearly 2000 cats and thus more than 100,000 miserable litters were prevented. Since then, these operations have become permanent.
D. Provide aid for cats of new emigrants, retirees, and the underprivileged and to those at any location where the cat populations are being poisoned periodically (and illegally). The society is very strong on helping all these population segments. A special emphasis is given to the Eastern European new immigrants who are known for their love for animals, but who require education on caring for their animals responsibly. The society plans to reach out fto these people via local papers in Russian as well as by advocacy of cat populations control. They are also being asked to subsidize the spay & neuter operation.
2. Provide medical care of all sorts: The society is currently working with seven clinics throughout Haifa and vicinities and provides medical care for homeless cats as a result of illnesses, neglect, abundance, after being wounded, being tortured, accidents etc.
3. Trace foster homes: Through the society’s hot line as well as by free-of-charge adds in various media including the internet, the society serves as a mediator between those who wish to give away their cats and those who wish to adopt them. The adopters are obliged to spay & neuter the cat when the time comes, either privately or via the subsidized fares of the society. For now, the society’s shelter maintains more than 180 kittens and cats until they find loving homes. Unfortunately most of them fail and remain in the society’s shelter for good.
4. Educate and advocate: The initial milestone of the society since its beginning (1966) was to give priority to raise the awareness of the animals' keepers, especially cat owners, to their responsibility towards these animals where ever they are. Over the years the society held youth circles, school lectures and many advocacy stands. Nowadays those stands are run and manned by youngsters of even 12 to 18 years old.
5. Rescue: The society operates rescue services for animals stuck on trees, roofs, gutters, accidents or neighbors quarrels.
6. Hot line reply: The society receives around 600 calls per month to its hot line which operates 24 hours. Here are some sorts of the calls:
* Medical treatments
* Informing about animals in distress
* Request for rescue
* Request for adoption
* Request for financial help in spay & neuter issues.
* Request for professional instructions.
* Volunteering appeals especially from youngsters.
* Referrals from the city’s center: Wounds, evacuation of female cats who had their litter in internal terraces or storage.
* A massive giveaway of unwanted cats due to: Allergies, leaving home to reside in Homes were it is forbidden to maintain animals, death of the cat’s owners, immigration or traveling abroad, threats of kicking out of the house domestic cats which can not survive outdoors, cruel abundance of the cat in to the streets from various reasons.
7. Poisons prevention: The society invests great efforts to prevent cruel, illegal mass poisonings of helpless homeless cats populations throughout Haifa and north Israel. When the society receives information regarding abuse, it acts vigorously to file a complaint with the police. It is possible to do so only if eye witnesses are willing to come forward, a condition which creates a problem. The society is also being helped by the ministry of the environment, the department of animal defense. If the society receive what they call an early tip of poisoning danger it turns to the local authority. Many times the society has had great success in preventing poisons by appealing to the mayor or to the council head which in their jurisdiction where the poisonings were about to be performed.
In Israel, the care of feral cats is a real concern. Strays are the norm and not the exception. They face the threat of extermination. Israel Cat Lovers Society is watching over the cats in northern Israel . They are educating people,
treating sick cats, advocating for spay and neuter to stabilize the population, finding loving homes for cats,
and so much more. Below are just a few Israeli cats that the Israel Cat Society has cared for.
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