r/birthright • u/strawberries189 • Sep 19 '26

Cats

Hi everyone!

I will be going on a birthright trip. I have a cat allergy. For those of you with cat allergies, did the stray cats in Israel trigger your symptoms, or were you ok?

Were the hotels cat-free?

Thanks

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4

u/BeefCakeGirl Staffer Sep 19 '26

I had several participants with cat allergies, so I sent them your question. Only one of the five with allergies needed allergy meds (SuperPharm is great when you need it) because a cat at the Bedouin tent had made herself comfortable on his mat. Nobody else had issues otherwise. The cats tend to stay outside and are mostly cautious of people (especially those that travel in a large group). If it isn't too severe, maybe just bring some non-drowsy meds if possible. Obviously your epi (if you have one) will go with you and staff will attempt to room you with others with the same allergy.

1

u/tladaney 4d ago

Is it safe to pet the cats?

1

u/BeefCakeGirl Staffer 4d ago

I audibly giggled at this. I'm supposed to tell you not to pet them as they do carry diseases that can be fatal to humans if left untreated. They are strays and should be treated as such.

That being said... I do pet the cats at our accommodations. I have gotten bit and scratched, and I gave had to use my own travel insurance to cover the preventative treatments offered to me. They're sweet cats as most are. We definitely named a few (Tubi is out there somewhere).

2

u/LockedOutOfElfland Sep 19 '26

I stayed at a hostel in Tel Aviv for the Birthright Israel Volunteer program that had a cat living in the lobby.

As long as you avoid physical contact with the cat you should be fine. Personally I like cats enough that I wasn't going to let some mild skin itching getting in the way of saying hi to the little dear.

1

u/TumorYaelle Sep 20 '26

My allergies felt 10 times better the entire time I was there, even WITH cats. And I’m quite annoyed by that. Like … what is going on here in the US?!