Al Udeid’s Beloved Pizza Cat Is Alive and Safe, Base Says

A cat living on Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, that has won the hearts of thousands of Airmen is safe, according to the base public affairs office, refuting recent rumors that base officials directed her to be put down.

For years, Airmen have posted photos online of a tricolor domestic shorthair cat often spotted near the base’s Pizza Hut, about a mile away from the flightline. The largest and most important U.S. base in the Middle East, Al Udeid hosts the forward headquarters of U.S. Central Command and U.S. Air Forces Central. It is also home to CENTCOM’s Combined Air Operations Center, the command center for airpower in the region.

As such, the roughly 10,000 troops and civilians there have been targeted by missile strikes from Iran and frequently find themselves at the epicenter of Middle East flashpoints, particularly in the last two years amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran. Even during calmer periods, troops there still contend with 100-plus degree desert heat exacerbated by high humidity.

Amid all that, Pizza Cat’s consistent, friendly presence made her a neighborhood icon. On the unofficial Air Force subreddit in particular, Airmen post regular “proof of life” photos of the “Queen of the Deid,” to the approval of Al Udeid residents past and present.

“One of the most frequent comments you will see on social media posts referencing Al Udeid Air Base is, ‘But is Pizza Cat ok?’” Capt. Trevor Wood, chief of public affairs at Al Udeid’s 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

“Members who were deployed here years ago still check in on Pizza Cat and love to hear that she is doing well and still lifting morale across the base,” he added.

That’s why rumors of her impending death posted on Reddit and Facebook earlier this week stirred uproar amid followers and prompted base officials to issue a memo saying that the cat was safe.

Al Udeid has a long-standing policy to remove wild animals, as feral dogs can spread rabies, pigeons can be sucked into engines, and some local snakes are venomous.

Past press releases document Airmen at the base setting traps to catch dogs and other animals, but cats “help control the mice, and they aren’t normally aggressive,” one pest management technician said in 2016, and the same can be said of Pizza Cat.

By coincidence, Air & Space Forces Magazine sent a list of questions about Pizza Cat to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing earlier this month for a feature about the feline and received answers back from Wood shortly before rumors of her death circulated.

After consulting with the base’s lead veterinarian, Wood said Pizza Cat was somewhere over 10 years old and is believed to have lived at the base for roughly 10 years, “likely making her one of the longest tenured members” at Al Udeid.

The cat has a notch missing from her left ear, which means she has been spayed and vaccinated, though she claims the notch “was an injury from a fierce battle protecting the base from an adversarial pigeon,” Wood joked.

The captain said Pizza Cat was promoted to the rank of “Meowster Sergeant” on May 16, 2022, and while he could not find documentation indicating her rank has changed since then, “we anticipate it won’t be long before she is promoted given her superior performance.”

Indeed, Wood shared anonymous quotes about the cat from several service members currently stationed at the base.

“Anytime someone comes across Pizza Cat on base typically their first reaction is to exclaim, ‘Pizza Cat!’ followed by pulling out their phone to take a picture of her,” said one.

“She is one of the greatest contributors to the morale here on base,” said another. “She has also been known to assist the base with pigeon control from time to time.”

Pizza Cat seems to know that troops are not allowed to pet animals on base due to safety concerns, said a third, but “she knows when you are taking a photo of her, she poses very well.”

Like many other assets at Al Udeid, Pizza Cat appears to have some operational security secrets. When asked if Pizza Cat has a home on base or prefers to wander, Wood said the cat is a wanderer who can be found throughout the installation.

“She has spots that she regularly frequents, particularly Pizza Hut,” Wood said, “but she has requested the other locations not be released publicly due to OPSEC concerns.”