Cats

Spaying and neutering stray cats: The veterinary service spays and neuters stray cats in coordination with “cat feeders” and in response to public inquiries. The cats are collected and undergo spaying/neutering surgery under full anesthesia, rabies vaccination, marking of the cat by cutting the tip of the left ear (universal marking), and medical treatment. After recovery, they are returned to the same place where they were caught.

In recent years, over 1,000 spaying and neutering surgeries have been performed annually on street cats.
 

Guidelines for feeding street cats

The guidelines for feeding street cats were written in accordance with the guidelines of the Ministry of Agriculture (Circular Meshav/1/2008 dated May 6, 2008 “Treatment of Street Cats – Refresher Guidelines Following the High Court Ruling,” general procedure for the treatment of street cats by the Ministry of Agriculture, and legal opinion by Attorney Efrat Aviani, Senior Deputy Legal Advisor to the Ministry of Agriculture).

According to the guidelines: Do not place food bowls near the entrance to a shared building; instead, place them near trash cans or in an open area away from the entrance to a residential building. Feed only dry food, not cooked food scraps (which cause a health hazard). After feeding, collect any leftover food and clean the area. Link to the procedure attached

Dogs

Picking up stray dogs

The veterinary service picks up stray dogs from the streets and often saves their lives. The dogs are kept and cared for at the Municipal Kennel.

At the Municipal Kennel, homeless dogs can be adopted (go to the adoption page) and provided with a warm home. Some of the dogs are transferred to animal welfare organizations or handed over to the security forces.

If you find a stray dog, please contact the municipal hotline at 106 (tel. 08-9279900 [extension 3], 053-559-5073).

Residents are asked to refrain from bringing stray dogs to the kennel on their own. Bringing stray dogs independently endangers residents and makes it difficult to locate the dog's owner and return it to them. The Municipal Veterinary Service does not accept dogs brought in by residents, so please avoid any unpleasantness.

Wild Animals

The City of Lod and its surroundings are influenced by urban nature, including groves, streams, winter puddles, and other unique habitats. These habitats are home to many species of wildlife, such as birds, foxes, jackals, reptiles, amphibians, and many others.

Wild animals in Israel are protected by the Wildlife Protection Law, which prohibits harming or capturing wild animals. Anyone who does so is subject to severe penalties as stipulated by law. In addition, the Nature and Parks Authority is designated as the body responsible for wildlife in the State of Israel, and therefore the municipal veterinary service has no legal authority to capture, treat, or take action against nuisances related to wildlife. In cases of nuisances caused by wild animals or injured wild animals, please contact the Nature and Parks Authority hotline at *3639.

Birds

Spring and early summer are the months when young birds learn to fly. Fledglings are mature chicks with partial plumage and no flight feathers. Inexperienced fledglings often fall to the ground, and to inexperienced people they sometimes look like injured birds. Many species of birds, such as crows and mynahs, which guard their fledglings, may scare people away by cawing, flying overhead, and even attacking animals and people who approach the place where the fledgling fell, especially if they try to touch it.

Birds such as crows, mynahs, starlings, and others are territorial animals and may become threatening when near their nests. Crows are very intelligent and possessive animals with a well-developed visual memory, and they do not forget those they perceive as threatening.