Visiting Iran? miss your cats at home or just a true cat person at heart? great news! there are INFINITE feral cats who need your help! this is my three step guide to befriending the local cats of Iran: (1) prepare some food in little takeaway boxes – i like to soft boil eggs and mix them with cooked sausage pieces or meat scraps and soft bread soaked in warm water. bring ice water too! it’s extremely hot in the summers and the drainage ditch water isn’t super clean so fresh cold water is a game changer for these cats. (2) i prefer feeding strays at night, since there’s less cars and people around. the cats are a little more confident and more willing to come out and eat/hang out. place a few portions of food in different spots in a specific area, meow a few times, and voila – cats! sit a little distance away so they can start eating and recognize you as a helper and not a threat. some might even come and rub on your legs when you’re done, that’s the key time for giving pats. let the cats finish eating then grab your bowls, rinse them, and repeat whenever you have time or meat scraps! some butchers will even give you scraps if you ask for free. (3) if you find that you have a little extra money while in Iran and want to do something nice for your local animals, look into trap neuter release (TNR) in your area! buy yourself a small metal animal trap, set food in it, and once the cat goes in to eat the weight triggers the door closing. take the cat to a local vet and get it neutered – this prevents the expansion of feral cat colonies and over time is better for the cat’s health, especially female cats who can have multiple litters in a year if not neutered. the vet will usually clip the tip of one ear on the cat to let others know that this cat has already been neutered. then release the cat back where you trapped it. wish you happy travels in Iran and good luck!
pro tip: if you’re dead set on interacting with feral animals i would highly recommend getting a rabies shot before traveling (i had mine) and generally not touching/getting close to animals who are visibly sick or unfriendly (hissing, defensive posture). can still feed from a good distance but if you plan to pet better to be safe.
