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Sunday, June 30, 2013

ANIMAL STORIES -

 

RUSSIAN MUSEUM HIRES CATS TO GUARD ARTWORK

 

The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersbourg hires cat guards to protect artwork against rodents - Cats have been on duty since 1764


The museum administration has been employing these highly skillful guards even though nowadays rats and mice can easily be exterminated using chemicals.  The museum cannot do without cats who have become its living legend and mascot.

Hermitage-employed cats survived the October Revolution and continued their service under the Soviet government. However, they didn’t survive the siege of Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. After starving people ate all the cats, the city was infested by rats. But as soon as the blockade was over, two carriages with cats arrived in Leningrad (now St.Petersburg) from Russia’s central regions making the backbone of a new squadron of rat-eating cats.

Each so-called “hermit” carries a passport with a photo certifying that he is qualified to pursue the difficult task of protecting the museum basements against rodents. The cats are well looked after, fed properly, attended to if ill and respected for their hard work. Museum employees know all male and female cats by their names, and the name for each cat is picked carefully, to suit his or her character.

The team of tailed guards consists mainly of alley cats, and like in the imperial times, the cat community hinges on strict hierarchy. The cats fall into aristocrats, the middle caste, and the low caste. Each group operates within a certain designated part of the building.

The cat staff cannot exceed 50-60 cats, not because they’ll be difficult to look after in terms of cat food. If the number of cats exceeds 60, they start cat fights and neglect their duties. For this reason, from time to time, the museum has to look for people who would adopt extra cats.

Read more: http://english.ruvr.ru/radio_broadcast/2249159/75927890/

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