International Cat Federation bans Russian cats from competition 

The International Cat Federation has banned Russian cats from international competitions, condemning the invasion of Ukraine as an “unprecedented act of aggression.”

Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFe), a group which considers itself “the United Nations of Cat Federations” with members from over 40 counties, said in a statement on its website that “it cannot just witness these atrocities and do nothing.”

Starting this week, no cat bred in Russia can be imported or registered in any FIFe pedigree book outside Russia and no cat belonging to exhibitors living in Russia may be entered at any FIFe show outside of the country.

“Many innocent people died, many more are wounded and hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are forced to flee their homes to save their lives,” the group said in a statement. “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.”

Along with establishing new restrictions, FIFé plans to use some of its funds to assist Ukrainian cat breeders and fanciers, the federation shared. FIFé was first formed in 1949 and hosts over 700 shows each year, where more than 200,000 cats are exhibited, according to its website.