The United States and its allies in western Europe are trying to squeeze Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to force a retreat from the invasion of Ukraine.
Part of that involves choking off access to international banking and threatening the livelihoods of Russia’s oligarchy.
The private sector is joining in. For example, Publix Super Markets recently announced that its stores were pulling Russian vodka from the shelves, while individual bar owners are pouring said vodka down the drain.
FIFA has banned Russia from the World Cup. Disney, Warner Bros., Sony, and Netflix are withholding or balking at showing Russian entertainment. Apple, Toyota, Honda, and Volkswagen have all announced that they were suspending sales of their products inside Russia.
But if none of that brings Putin to his knees, surely this will. The International Cat Federation has banned Russian cats from its competitions.
In a statement, the federation said it was “shocked and horrified that the army of the Russian Federation invaded the Republic of Ukraine and started a war.”
“Many innocent people died, many more are wounded and hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are forced to flee their homes to save their lives. We can all witness the destruction and chaos caused by this unprecedented act of aggression,” the statement continued.
“On top of that our Ukrainian fellow feline fanciers are desperately trying to take care of their cats and other animals in these trying circumstances. We are extremely happy that many members of FIFe [Fédération Internationale Féline] clubs bordering Ukraine, such as Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and Moldova, are lending a helping hand to their Ukrainian breeder friends.”
In light of this aggression and mayhem, the cat group added, “The Board of FIFe feels it cannot just witness these atrocities and do nothing.”
Accordingly, until May 31 at the earliest, FIFe decreed that “no cat bred in Russia may be imported and registered in any FIFe pedigree book outside Russia, regardless of which organization issued its pedigree.”
Moreover, “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.”
FIFe’s board also decided that it will dedicate part of its budget “to support cat breeders and fanciers in Ukraine who are suffering because of the current situation.”
“We hope for the sake of our Ukrainian friends that this terrible situation will not last a lot longer and we wish them a lot of courage and good fortune!” FiFe’s statement concluded.
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