Cat rescued at Beirut airport after being 'thrown away' by owner, kicked by 'ignorant kids'

Article content

Video of a cat that was “thrown away” by his heartless owner has blood pressures boiling and broken the hearts of many on the internet.

Clips of the “terrified” feline were shared on TikTok by Rena Hamieh, a.k.a. @giddykittykat, a veterinarian and animal rescuer in Lebanon. One of Hamieh’s friends, who works at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport, witnessed the cat being left behind with some luggage and immediately called her friend to help.

The text on Hamieh’s video, which was filmed on Jan. 17 and has amassed more than 2.9 million views since then, says, “His owner didn’t have the proper paperwork for boarding the flight, so they decided to abandon him at the airport.” Another caption says: “He was thrown away with some luggage,” and shows the cat lying next to what appears to be clothing scattered on the floor by the check-in counter.

Hamieh, 30, told Newsweek that she drove to the airport to find the abandoned cat, which she found hiding under an escalator railing after “being kicked around by ignorant kids.

“He was absolutely terrified,” she told the outlet.

“Poor baby was very scared due to all the commotion around him,” she said, noting how “some travellers were very cruel” and violent with him.

Another caption in her video says, “He just wants to be safe,” while her post led with, “You don’t leave family behind!!!” But in a follow-up video, she revealed the domestic short-hair was indeed safe.

Hamieh told Newsweek she gave the feline a thorough checkup, treated him for pain management and worked on his external wounds.

“I was concerned as I saw a few trauma injuries on his body, but thankfully there was no significant internal bleeding,” she said.

Hamieh was unable to take the cat in due to a packed home with other rescues, but she found him a foster home where she said he is “doing great.

“Hopefully he’ll get adopted soon,” she said. “He’s such a strong, resilient boy and he made a swift recovery considering all the trauma he had to endure.”

People on TikTok were devastated and angry at the cat’s owner.

“If I can’t take my cat with me I’m not getting in that plane, wth (what the heck) is wrong with people,” one person wrote.

“People who dump their pets like trash don’t deserve to own animals or have children!” a second commenter said, while another wrote, “People who could do this to an animal deserve to be in jail.”

One user commented: “How could someone do that to their own pet? I will abandon a million flights before I ever abandon my baby.”

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Play Video