Why are there so many feral/stray cats in Israel?

To sum the given answers and add a few points: Many cats were brought to Israel during the British mandate of Israel (supposedly to fight off rats), and the legacy remained. read more

Many cats were brought to Israel during the British mandate of Israel (supposedly to fight off rats), and the legacy remained. There is no coherent legislation on the subject at the national level , except that mass killing (more specifically, poisoning) of stray animals is illegal according to the “animal cruelty prevention law” of 1994. read more

One website, the Seattle Times, tells us that there are 2 million feral cats in Israel. The newspaper says that animal rights organisations in the country and experts have predicted that within a few years there might be more feral cats than people in Israel (8 million). Something needs to be done. read more

stray cats are "disorderly", but it is Israel - which is a bit disorderly anyway. another reason is morality and religion. Jews see fixing or killing stray cats as major animal abuse, and so - the stray cats are fixed by the state only if rabid animals were found, or in cities without religious concentration. read more