In another remarkable act of kindness, Sip and Purr Cat Cafe, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, undertook its second rescue mission in Lebanon, collaborating with AnimalsLebanon.
The rescue mission took 25 Lebanese cats to the United States to provide them with better lives.
The cats just arrived safely in Chicago on Friday where Sip and Purr, owned and managed by Katy McHugh, will take care of finding them caring homes, away from the dire conditions of their home country.
And yet, despite the current harsh situation in Lebanon, Kathy McHugh felt safe and very welcomed during her visit.
In an interview with The961, she praised the Lebanese people who made her feel welcomed. “I haven’t felt so welcomed, and so taken care of,” Katy told us, almost tearing up.
She mentioned how Lebanon felt safe to her, and that she’d bring her kids with her on this mission. The Lebanese people’s generosity made her feel at home.
Kathy McHugh has been on a roll to save cats in various countries. Her initiative, the International Scholarship Program (ISP), started when she was contacted about helping cats from Qatar.
As she researched the problems that pets faced in the Middle East, she realized how different these issues are, compared to those in the US.
As more and more people from the Middle East contacted her, the 4th of August explosion happened in Beirut. Some people from Lebanon reached out to her, leading her to her first mission in Lebanon in October of last year.
However, this year’s rescue mission was the ISP’s biggest international one, as 25 cats were being flown to Chicago from Lebanon.
Of course, not every mission goes without any challenges. The airways took a long time to confirm the cats’ trip date, which Katy had to deal with for a few days, as the mission was specifically for the cats.
Katy said the differences between this year and last year are huge. The darkness from turned off street lights, to the blackouts. Other differences became more believable with time, like the long lines of cars at gas stations.
