Photographer Captures Stunning Images of Beirut’s Homeless Cats and the Kind People Who Help Them

We all love and adore our four-legged friends – but did you know there are 70 million  stray animals in the U.S. alone and the majority of these animals are cats? Well … it’s true. To make matters worse, from this population of 70 million, only about six to eight million animals gain entry into the nation’s 3,500 shelters annually.  This means there are about five homeless pets for every homeless person in the country! This is obviously a pressing issue within the U.S.; however, the issue of stray cats has become a global problem – on that is being highlighted by one photographer from Beirut.  Captivating images taken by talented photographer, Bilal Salameh, display the lives of stray cats on the streets of Beirut, how these cats overrun the streets, and how kind people make the effort to assist them.

This photographer documented a day in the life of Beirut’s stray cats as he was  curious to see how they lived and if people helped them.

He found an enormous population of homeless cats occupying the streets, seemingly at every corner.

Despite the large population of stray cats, the people of Beirut were kind enough to look out for them.

This man feeds the cats every day, and he also knows several other people who do as well.

These are three of the ten cats he feeds on a daily basis.

At 3:30 in the morning, a citizen actually came to feed the cats, which shows the lengths people go to in order to help these cats.

Despite the kind nature of these people, these cats are still left without homes.

This photo illustrates how more and more cats are populating the streets. These little ones are cute, but they need food and a safe environment to thrive.

The issue of homeless pets and overpopulation is a huge global issue, but we can all help! You can help stray cats, and dogs as well, by taking a lesson from the people of Beirut.  You can help in a small way by providing them with some food and water, check out this resource for more on this. Additionally, contact your local shelter and see if there is a way they can help. 

Image Source: bilalsalameh2/Instagram