The New York Times has reported on the pampered lives of cats in the United States, where they receive injections for diabetes and obesity. But what about the fight for survival facing cats in Jerusalem during the winter that has settled over the city?
Jerusalem’s cold wraps the city in layers of gray clouds, overpowering the sun’s rays that try to break through and offer a bit of warmth to street dwellers. There is no place in Jerusalem where a quiet, daily feline drama is not unfolding – a drama of survival. From “Cat Square” in Nahalat Shiv’a, Hahavatzelet Street, the Street of the Prophets, and up to Shabbat Square, cats can be seen near sealed underground garbage containers, searching for food.
Along the fences of the Ministry of Health, between Yehudit Street and Yosef Ben Matityahu Street, efforts have been made to provide food and water for cats, as well as in neighborhoods such as Ramot, Mekor Haim, and others. But this is not what the small members of the tiger and lion family truly miss. They long for chicken scraps, fish remains, the feline gourmet fare that once filled open trash bins and has now disappeared.
Thin and curled up, they can be found behind parked car tires, beneath low air-conditioning units, and in tangled vegetation. Huddled together, their eyes half-closed, they make sure they are not driven away even from the shelter they have managed to find. The municipality reports an increase in residents’ inquiries regarding cats, feeding, sterilization, and odor complaints.
How do Jerusalem’s street cats survive the winter?
Jerusalem’s cats are no longer merely an urban fringe. They are an urban, environmental, and social story that demands attention. While we concern ourselves with heating prices and types of air conditioners, Jerusalem’s cats are coping with cold and hunger. Kittens and adult cats alike may not survive the winter. This is not only an animal welfare issue. It is reflected in reports of numerous cases of hypothermia and pneumonia during the winter months of December, January, and February.
If cats are part of Jerusalem’s folklore, perhaps warm and protective spaces should be created to shield these four-legged residents from flooding and frost. These animals protect us from rats and mice, serving as a natural mechanism for pest control. Jerusalem’s winter thus becomes a measure of social resilience: how capable an urban community, preoccupied with itself, is of caring for the most invisible and vulnerable beings that share its space. The removal of open garbage containers was, in effect, an invasion of the cats’ natural food reserves across Jerusalem’s neighborhoods.
What is the condition of Jerusalem’s street cats – and what does it say about society?
Residents may have received underground garbage containers for household waste, but along the way, one encounters thin and emaciated cats. Their cries are weak, their “meow” barely audible. The rules of the neighborhood and urban ecosystem have changed. All that remains is to observe and learn how other countries treat cats, dogs, and sparrows searching for a bit of food.
The next time you step outside, look beneath your car. If there is no warm place, leave a simple cardboard box with a few rags or plastic sheets in an area protected from rain. Because when the heart freezes like Jerusalem stone in winter, a person loses the warmth needed to survive all seasons.
