The parable of the cats

A man had recently moved into a new neighbourhood. As he was walking towards the market one day, he noticed that there were a few cats about and they looked very scrawny and hungry. Being a kind-hearted person, he took pity on them and while in the market buying what he needed, he also bought some cat food.
He gave some food to the cats who were very happy indeed. They made cute little noises and rubbed up against him. This warmed his heart. He decided to feed the cats about once a day or so. Very soon, the cats started looking quite healthy and not at all like their former feral and scrawny selves.

Time went by and a few of the cats started to have babies. The number of cats just about doubled. The man at first didn't take much notice; he fed them the same amount as usual. As there were more cats, there was less food per cat. Sometimes fights would break out and the most aggressive and strongest cat would get the lion's share. Some cats started to look scrawny and hungry again. The man, noticing this, decided to give them more food "otherwise some of them might die of hunger", he said to himself.

More time passed and there were double again the number of cats. Again, some cats ate more (because they were stronger and more aggressive) and some ate less, and as a result quite a lot of the cats were hungry and close to death. The man again decided to give them even more food. Again the cats started to look well-fed and healthy again.

Even more time passed and now the number of cats had doubled yet again! And now a very large number of cats were starving. The man was quite distressed because he really didn't want the cats to die. But he couldn't afford to buy the cats any more food. As he stood there not knowing what to do, a wise old man (who's regular habit it was to spend some time relaxing on a nearby bench) watching the scene, stood up and walked over to the man who had been feeding the cats.

He said, "My friend, I've been watching you for quite a long time now while I sit here every evening. Long ago, when you first saw that those few cats were starving, you should have just left them alone. Yes, perhaps even to die. You thought you were doing good by feeding those cats, but now you see what has happened? Now there are 10 times the number of cats starving and near death. And not only that - do you dear something strange?"

"No, I can't hear anything."

"Exactly. There aren't as many birds here as there used to be. The cats have eaten most of them. You see, your mistake is in thinking that death is something bad and to be feared and avoided. But the truth is, life and death go hand in hand. They are 2 faces of the same coin. They must always be in balance. Too much life is as bad as too much death. Now go your way and don't worry about the cats anymore. Let Death come and take, with interest, what has been kept from him for so long."

Heeding the wise man's advice, he went home and didn't come again to feed the cats. Soon he forgot about the whole thing. He eventually moved to a different neighbourhood. A year or so later, he happened to be passing through the neighbourhood he used to live in, and noticed a few cats about and they looked very scrawny and hungry. With some sadness in his heart, he forced himself to look away and went about his business.