To feed, or not to feed, that is the question
By Mirsiavash Ejlali
Ecologist
The typical scene on the streets of Tehran, from the north all the way to the south: People, young or old, feeding groups of stray cats. These cats are so accustomed to humans that they rarely show any fear, readily approach us, rub themselves against our legs, and mew persistently for food. With their innocent, colorful eyes and marvelously painted coats alongside mellow mews and purrs, these cats are totally irresistible! Anyone could be tempted to feed these adorable animals! Right?
But beware! Feeding stray cats on a regular basis is not a good idea at all. Why?
Less genetically fit cat populations in the long run: Those cats not well-adapted to the urban ecosystem behaviorally, morphologically, or physiologically, including sick and weak cats, will be eliminated by natural selection, resulting in genetically healthier and fitter populations. Feeding and taking care of the maladapted or sick cats on a regular basis will result in less genetically fit populations of these animals.
Kittens do not master their hunting lessons: Female cats teach their kittens how to hunt adeptly. Kittens need to practice their hunting skills, just as you needed to practice how to walk when you were a toddler. As people feed the mother, the kittens, instead of learning and practicing their hunting lessons, from a very young age, lose their fear of humans and learn from their mother how to get food easily by just a simple mew.
The spread of diseases such as toxoplasmosis accelerates: Feeding results in all the cats gathering in one place. Being in close proximity means the spread of diseases such as toxoplasmosis; this, in turn, increases the transmission of this disease from cats to humans and pets.
Why should they go hunting when people feed them regularly? Cats play a highly important role in the urban ecosystem, controlling the population of small-bodied rodents such as house mice, butterflies, and small reptiles, especially hunting the weak, old, or sick ones. After all, that is why wild cats were domesticated long ago. Stray cats, however, will not go after the above-mentioned prey items if food is provided by people. Also note that apart from individual learning, social learning plays a critical part in shaping behavior in cats; that is, they learn from each other. So, when they notice that other cats in their neighbors get food easily without going through the hassles of hunting, even the more reserved cats get more dependent on humans feeding them.
Population explosion: Stray cats have a high reproductive capacity. Female and male cats are reproductively mature by 6 and 8 months, respectively. Genetic and environmental factors, mainly resource availability, define the number of times the female gives birth and her litter size. Thanks to us, there are abundant sources for these cats, and they can give birth far more frequently and each time with a large litter size. Not surprisingly, the population of stray cats in Tehran has been skyrocketing over the last decade, reaching 400,000 in 2024. Unfortunately, when the populations of stray cats are not controlled, they will ultimately face mistreatment.
Still, if you are not convinced and their mewing steals your heart, at least do not feed them on a regular basis. If you really love feeding a cat every day, get a pet and take care of her/him very well! Let nature take over, and cats play their indispensable role in our urban ecosystem!
As a side note, feeding by people is not the only culprit, but it has certainly exacerbated this problem. Unless the Tehran Municipality, NGOs, the Department of Environment, and ordinary people work hand in hand, this problem will linger on. Neutering, improvement in waste management, such as suitable covers for trash bins, and amendment of the pertinent laws and regulations are the key strategies that need to be adopted by the authorities.