Feral Kitten in the Shmittah Garden

During Shmittah (Sabbatical) year we minimize the work we do in our garden. There’s a corner that we let go fallow and it has become overgrown with wild wheat, weeds and thistles.

The other morning on my way to Synagogue I spotted this little feral kitten chilling on a rock. Turns out his mother thought the high grass was a safe place to have her kittens.

As cute as they are, please avoid petting feral cats when you are visiting Israel. It’s very easy to get a nasty ringworm fungal infection.

There are about 2,000,000 feral cats living in Israel which you’ll find hanging out near the country’s waste bins.

General Allenby in 1917 at Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem

Cats were brought into the country when the British Army took control at the end of World War I in 1917. There was a huge rodent problem, particularly in the urban areas, and the British felt they’d rather deal with wild cats than rats and mice.

Although they are a nuisance around the garbage bins, our feral friends help keep our home mice and rat free. They also love hunting and catching baby snakes which makes us even happier!