Poisons: an invisible threat
The problem doesn't stop with wildlife. The poisons used for rodents, such as high-potency anticoagulants, are often genotoxic and neurotoxic. When they end up in the environment, they can contaminate groundwater and soil. As a result, they enter the food chain and can even end up in the food we consume. Long-term exposure to these substances, even in small doses, can have devastating effects on human health, such as the onset of tumors and neurodegenerative diseases.

Hediye Dağkıran

The historical legacy of ancient distrust
Our approach to cats isn't just a matter of modern efficiency. It has complex historical roots. In the Western world, the relationship with cats has always been ambivalent. In some historical periods, particularly in the Middle Ages, cats were associated with superstition, witchcraft, and negative figures like Mephistopheles. This view contributed to a historical lower tolerance for stray cats. While the modern perception has changed radically, this cultural legacy has left its mark, influencing the idea that their presence should not be a natural and uncontrolled part of the urban environment.
In the East and the Islamic world, in contrast, the cat has always enjoyed a high status, as a symbol of cleanliness and a cherished companion, from the time of the Prophet Muhammad and his beloved cat Muezza.
Perhaps the West doesn't hate cats, but has simply lost touch with the millennial wisdom that allowed entire civilizations to coexist in harmony with nature, understanding that the most sustainable solution is also the healthiest.

Eastern wisdom: cats as a solution, not a problem 
In the Islamic world and in many parts of the East, the cat is a symbol of purity and care. It is not just an animal but a companion that earns respect and nourishment. The stories of the Prophet Muhammad stroking cats or cutting the sleeve of his cloak to avoid disturbing his beloved cat Muezza are just some examples of a bond that has lasted for centuries.
There, cats are not a problem, but a solution. They feed on rodents and maintain the ecological balance naturally, without the need for poisons or destructive interventions. Their presence is seen as a cultural heritage, a sign of compassion and respect for all creatures.
In the East, the answer to a rat is not poison, but a free cat.

The fable of the free cat and the slave cat 
Our approach to felines reflects a philosophy that goes beyond simple animal population management. It reflects our own relationship with freedom. Cats that live exclusively indoors are safe from dangers, but their lives are often poor in stimulation, hunting, and adventure, risking boredom and frustration. In contrast, free cats face dangers, but they live a life rich in experience and independence.
This choice brings to mind Aesop’s fable:
A skinny and hungry wolf meets a well-fed domestic dog in great shape. The wolf, impressed, asks the dog how he manages to be so prosperous. The dog replies that he lives a comfortable life serving a master, in exchange for abundant food and a warm kennel. The wolf, tempted, prepares to follow him. At the last minute, he notices a sore mark on the dog's neck, caused by the chain that holds him tied during the day. The wolf, seeing that wealth is paid for with the loss of freedom, prefers his life of hardship but independence and returns to the forest.
The moral of the story is an ode to freedom. It is better to be free and hungry than well-fed and a slave. In the same way, are we perhaps condemning our cats to a forced security that deprives them of their true nature?

An ideological choice? 
While the West grapples with the disastrous consequences of its rodent control methods, the East lives in symbiosis. While we fight nature, they embrace it.
The question arises: is our war on cats a battle of efficiency or an ideological declaration? Is it our inability to accept the wild nature within our urbanized spaces?
The next time you see a stray cat in your city, ask yourself: do you see it as a threat or an ally? The answer to that question could tell us much more about our culture than about the cats themselves.

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 *Board Member, SRSN (Roman Society of Natural Science) Past Editor-in-Chief Italian Journal of Dermosurgery