The International Cat Federation has confirmed that all cats from Russia have been banned from taking part in all competitions.
According to local media reports, the news comes as Russian forces are invading Ukraine, which the federation condemns while calling it an unjust act of oppression.
This means all Russian-bred cats will no longer be allowed to participate after the board confirmed the decision as final, which was reportedly taken on Wednesday.
In the same way, the organization has even gone ahead to pledge for a total ban on all Russian cats as well as their owners, while donating to help all of those Ukrainian cat owners that are currently facing difficulties due to being caught up in the war.
This is being looked upon by the international community as a swift response against the ongoing invasion that comes just a few days after the Russian athletes were banned from taking part in sports competitions.
“All Russian cats will no longer be allowed to compete in our cat shows and this rule will stay in place till May 31st at the earliest, and will then further be reviewed due to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine”- an official statement mentioned.
The executive board stated that it plans to ban the owners of these cats too until further notice. However, this particular move was not taken too well by China, which felt that it was unlawful to put a ban on animals.
Soon, Twitter was full of viral comments and social media debates began to take center stage as did the hashtag ‘cats are banned from Russia’.
Others appreciated the move, stating how innocent civilians were losing their lives on a daily basis and were now being forced to flee their homes as a means to save their lives.