14 Cats from Beirut, Lebanon, Now Looking for Homes in Portland

International Feline Adoption Collaboration of the Pixie Project and Cat Adoption Team.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Fourteen feline refuges from Lebanon’s capital city arrived in Portland on Monday, January 21st and are now available for adoption through the Cat Adoption Team and Pixie Project.

Abandoned on the streets, rescued from neglect at a pet shop, found in a garbage pail, injured and discarded, Ella, Cookie, Dido, Karel, Bono, Nancy, and the others now have a real chance at finding loving, caring homes.

War and political instability in the region make finding permanent homes for these animals in Beirut extremely challenging.

Daily circumstances change and funding evaporates, yet the need to help the animal victims continues.

The majority of cats sheltered by Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (BETA) were dumped at the shelter doors, rescued from the highway, or so badly injured they were overlooked by others.

The Pixie Project, a rescue adoption center in N.E. Portland, worked with Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to bring some of their homeless animals to Portland in an effort to ease the burden on BETA’s limited resources.

The Pixie Project enlisted the aid and expertise of the Cat Adoption Team in this international adoption collaboration.

The 14 Beirut cats were given time to settle into new surroundings, observed for any ill-affects to their long transit, examined by veterinarians, and are now available for adoption from the Cat Adoption Team and Pixie Project.

BETA is the only animal rescue organization for Lebanon and cares for over 340 cats and dogs in their shelters. They have 7 paid staff and about 20 volunteers.

BETA pets have found homes through international adoption collaborations in Germany, Holland, Canada, and the United States.

The average age of BETA cats is 3 years, they are spay/neutered, vaccinated, tested for FIV/FeLV and microchipped.

At this time 5 cats are available through CAT, and 9 cats are available through the Pixie Project.

The Cat Adoption Team (CAT) is the Pacific Northwest’s largest non-profit, no-kill cat shelter with its own full service veterinary hospital on-site.

CAT’s mission is to work with the community to save the lives of homeless, sick and injured cats and kittens by offering shelter, adoption, foster, hospice, spay/neuter, and veterinary services to end needless feline euthanasia in our community. CAT, a 501(c)(3) publicly-supported charity, will save over 3,100 lives this year and relies heavily on the support of the public and generous volunteers.

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Phloxie February 11, 2014 9:50 pm (Pacific time)

I adopted one of these cats, Coconut, in July of 2008 and he is the most fun addition to my life that I can imagine. I didn't know until I picked him up to take him home what his story was, but it made me even more grateful that I could help a cat who probably would have spent the rest of his life unhappy in a cage in a shelter. The Beirut cat in the adoption room with him had been buried alive in a plastic box. In the U.S., animals at least have some rights and we have laws in place (and moral codes) to protect them. In Lebanon, animals, even household pets, have no rights and are often abused and wildly mistreated with no recourse. If you follow BETA on Facebook, you'll see the amazing things they are doing to help rehabilitate and protect all sorts of neglected and abused animals, and raise awareness of the need to be kind to animals as a start to being kind to fellow humans. As Ghandi said, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated." Lebanon, as do many countries, still has a lot to learn.

K January 31, 2008 12:11 pm (Pacific time)

From the news stories here in Portland, NO US tax dollars were used, NO donated money from CAT or Pixie Project. All was supported by the folks from Lebanan where 3 cats a MONTH find homes. From the news, this was not the first time BETA brought animals to the US or to Oregon - just maybe the first time the press was involved to draw attention to the animals and the others at these shelters. Since these are ANIMAL shelters, their main concern is for the animals.

The Pixie Project January 29, 2008 10:32 am (Pacific time)

These people are doing the right thing... They love the animals, and they also love the humans. They want to get these cats out of Lebanon. I work with The Pixie Project and there all about saving animals. So don't go judging without knowing who they are and what they do. Thanx

Neal Feldman January 27, 2008 8:10 pm (Pacific time)

or cargo lol. Ah well...

ZaaZaa January 27, 2008 3:49 am (Pacific time)

Great success people. Congrats on giving the cats a home while thousands of people die of hunger, poltiical instability and bombs dropped by Israel. Last time I checked, human life was a bit more important!!! Just a question...did you also fly them first class or business???? God forbid they flew economy!!!!

C A T lover January 25, 2008 8:21 pm (Pacific time)

In addition to finding homes for these long distance refugees, C A T needs homes for lots of great Oregonian cats. Thanks to the attention the Lebanese cats are generating, more people will visit C A T, fall in love, and provide a forever home for a needy feline.

Neal Feldman January 25, 2008 4:05 pm (Pacific time)

Matt Johnson - Maybe you do not have a yard that is constantly 'gifted' by the hundreds of feral cats running around the neighborhood or that keep you up night after nght with their yowling and cat fights right outside your bedroom window. When every single cat in the nation is an indoor cat that does not imposes as above on the neighbors THEN we can worry about importing more. And what about the thousands (millions?) of cats euthanized each year in this country? Ah well...

Neal Feldman January 25, 2008 3:59 pm (Pacific time)

We don't have enough strays and unwanted cats that we have to import them now? Will they all be spayed/neutered before entry? Ah well...

Vic January 25, 2008 3:46 pm (Pacific time)

Meanwhile, back in Lebanon, people (and maybe even cats) are dying from hundreds of thousands of cluster bombs that our friends, the Israelis, dropped all over Lebanon in the last days of the so-called war. (Civilian Turkey-shoot would be more accurate) So, save these cats, and may God help the children and people of Lebanon as they brace for the inevitable attacks from Israel, funded by....yep, you and me. And we wonder why they hate us....I would too.

Matt Johnson January 25, 2008 2:51 pm (Pacific time)

Those comments are kind of sad, I guess people can't appreciate that a few cats just got a luck break. I don't think it should bother you two folks above with the really interesting names. Have a heart!

Ummm January 25, 2008 1:08 pm (Pacific time)

... our tax dollars at work. I think my husbands ten-cent cure would be cheaper than flying potentially disgruntled middle-eastern felines to the US...

MMM January 25, 2008 1:07 pm (Pacific time)

Who Cares? Why would these cats travel 6,794 miles to Portland when i'm sure there were other more reasonable options available??????

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