Vlad Got Mad, Cats Got Banned
Russian-bred cats and owners clawed with bizarre international sanctions. What gives? #Opinion
The International Cat Federation (Fédération Internationale Feline) has banned Russian-bred cats from its shows & competitions. The board confirmed the move on Tuesday last week after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It has pledged to ban Russian cats and owners as well as donating to help Ukrainian owners caught up in the war.
The rule would remain in place until May 31 and would then be reviewed, as it states “…feels it cannot just witness these atrocities and do nothing” and “No cat belonging to exhibitors living in Russia may be entered at any FIFe show outside Russia, regardless of which organization these exhibitors hold their membership in,”
“The Board of FIFe feels it cannot just witness these atrocities and do nothing”
According to Newsweek, Russian cat breeds rank among the world’s most expensive. Siberian cats, for instance, can cost around $1,000 to $2,000, while Russian Blues and Peterbald cats can fetch up to $3,000. These cats, and their breeders have nothing to do with a war that isn’t of their making. It’s not fair to the Russian breeders, and it’s always the civilians who suffer the most when there is a war.
It’s not that we are supporting the invasion though, we are surely concerned the fate of stray animals in bombed Ukrainian towns. But, this sanction feels nothing more than a toothless bite by Russophobic western people being a political drama queen. Cats, as well as other animals, belong to nature not a country. We struggling to understand this sanction but also feel sorry for those breeders, of course.
FIFé, by its nature is an apolitical organization that should be united by love, not hatred, nor revenge. We disagree with this FIFé decision, which has drawn animal lovers into war.
This is going too far. If FIFé really want to help Ukrainian breeders, they can just donate and ship cat foods to them since they need it more than a sanction. This insane war has to come to an end, as well as any other wars in every part of the world.
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