Lebanese Street Cat

Lebanese street cats come in all shapes and sizes. Signs of a life-long street cat—versus a stray cat who may be lost—include a well-kept coat (thanks to their meticulous self-grooming), protective body language, and lack of eye contact. Because they are intact, male street cats may have thick necks, muscular bodies, and scars from fighting.

Lebanese street cats' coats can come in all colors, patterns, and lengths.

Lebanese street cats do not follow a breed standard. So, any combination of features is possible.

Like all domestic cats, Lebanese street cats can trace their roots back to the African Wildcat—whose native land stretched from Egypt to Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey.

As civilizations developed, cats became helpful partners in pest control. And it wasn't long before they endeared themselves to humans for more than their mousing skills. But the selective breeding that led to purebred cats didn't get underway until the 19th century. Before that, cats were (and mostly still are) non-pedigreed.

Though many people adopt Lebanese street cats as pets, millions live as feral cats fending for themselves in small towns and busy cities. They're particularly rampant in Beirut.

In the 1970s and 1980s, many city dwellers left their cats behind when fleeing the civil war. And over the last several decades, the number of feral cats in the area has exploded.