Airport cats

[TwoBitBandit]

I've done my share of traveling through the FSU.  On several occasions, I've seen cats living in the airport.  I've seen them in Omsk and Volgograd.  This week I saw one in the Nizhny Novgorod airport.

My Russian teacher didn't think I should be so surprised.  "What's wrong with having a cat at the airport?" she asked. 

I guess it's just one of those things that is different about Russia.  International airports in the United States don't have cats.  Anyway, I decided to post some pictures of my most recent find.

[Wraith]

Heh, I did find humor in that TwoBit. I would have definitely thought along the same lines as you as it being strange seeing a cat living at an airport.

[Taz]

How else are they going to take care of all the rats/mice at the airport???

OTOH I think it is a terrible idea. Often these cats are feral cats and can be quite dangerous. I almost go clawed by a nasty one at an airport in Moscow (Vnukovo). I won't say what I did to that little b*stard as I don't want all the PETA people sending me nastygrams.

Quite honestly I don't have a lot of love anymore for the animals without owners in the FSU. I have literally died almost 2 times because of animal attacks in the FSU and heaven help any unattended animal that crosses my path now in the FSU. They will not get within biting, kicking or scratching distance of me now. I'll drop that little sucker in its tracks without thinking twice even though I am a serious animal lover. I just can't tack the risk after having unprovoked attacks. I don't want to see any more FSU hospitals, ambulances, doctors, etc. without a darn good reason! Being attacked by an animal is one I hope to prevent in the future from ever happening again!!!

[ECOCKS]

Yet they hear that we have enough pets to support the pet superstores like Petco and Ptesmart and cannot believe it isn't a problem here so it should be okay there too.

Two summers ago a visiting university student from the US offered a mcDonald's burger to one of the feral dogs around Tolstogo metro and had to undergo rabies shots when the dog bit her taking the burger.

Re: Airport pets. I agree that it is probable that the mice and rats are the slightly lesser of two evils which allows the cats to live there. I would still worry about the animals running loose around the kitchens though. I have seen street dogs wander in and out of the smaller restaurants at will all over Ukraine. Scary.

[Shadow]

There is more wrong with people as with animals.
We sometimes believe that we have the power to tame any animal, and have no clue on readingtheir signs they do not want us near.
Very few animals attack unprovoked, the ones that come to mind are musquitos.

[Phil dAmore]

Rodent and vermin control are the cats  mission and that leaves one less thing for the humans to do.

Any place in Russia that sells food one will find a resident cat or two and it is very common to find them prowling through a bistro or casual eatery in search of some table scraps.

Well, almost any place.  I can't ever recall seeing one hanging around a Chinese restaurant but that could just be coincidence....

[Taz]

There is more wrong with people as with animals.
We sometimes believe that we have the power to tame any animal, and have no clue on readingtheir signs they do not want us near.
Very few animals attack unprovoked, the ones that come to mind are musquitos.

I never tried to tame any animal in the FSU and generally kept my distance. I spent a large portion of my youth on a farm and I'd hazard a guess that I spent more around unruly animals such as bulls, horses, pigs, etc. than most here. I even raised wolves for a time. I was never bit even by them. Had some nasty confrontations and a close friend was badly bitten by his in a brief moment when he showed weakness to the beta male.

The times I was attacked in the FSU were totally unprovoked. How do you explain a dog running at least 30m to attack you? I never saw the dog before. Never approached it. Absolutely no prior contact. Only thing I saw was a brief shadow out of the corner of my eye before it sunk its fangs into me and I fell to the ground gushing blood all over the place. I learned firsthand about the Russian medical system. I learned far more than any foreigner would likely ever want to know. I experienced things that I doubt many Russians would never experience in their lifetime within their system. Obviously some worse but I'd say I was definitely in the upper echelon of "interesting" experiences within the FSU medical system.

I generally keep my distance from animals I don't know. I don't what up and say "here kitty kitty" unless it is to a RW/UW. 

[ECOCKS]

If they like you so much, you should pick up one of those pellet guns or cartridge-mounted BB's and start carrying.

Maybe you were walking towards a dumpster that it regarded as his territory?

People do get attacked although not nearly as often as one would think given the numbers of them around. It seems that they scrounge the trash and most people that insist on feeding them throw food to them from a distance, quickly so as not to be overrun.

My impression is that many purchase the puppies of the larger breeds and then are astonished at the cost factors for food and medical care, oh and the inconvenience of keeping them walked and cleaned up.

[Taz]

I'm not going anywhere in public in the FSU with anything that remotely resembles a gun. As for the dog attack, I was walking in a major park/tourist area that has controlled access AND fences. I was on a major walkway not near anything special such as food, trash, etc. I was walking with my girlfriend minding our own business in the middle of the day. I am not a tiny guy and that dog took me down so hard I thought I had been taking out by a linebacker. At the time I was probably about 125 kilos. So to take me down the way it did, it had to hit me pretty hard. We were at least 20-30 meters away from anything. It was a walking path between to lakes.

[ECOCKS]

LOL, must have been the shirt you had on then!

I kept meaning to pick up one of their little peewee pistols to bring back and need to get a couple this fall trip. The BB cartridge models with a revolver frame look to be curios for over here.

[Taz]

Yea, must have the shirt I had on. It said "impeach Putin!" Apparently the dog was pro-Putin. Or member the dog was upset that there was really no way to impeach Putin and was taking out repressed anger on me. Sure, attack me, the guy that helps out at the doggie shelters. Great idea mutt!

My GF was in shock. She knows how much I like dogs. For a dog to bite me would be tantamount to some Democratic Chicago politician actually admitting that dead people did vote for Democrats in Chicago elections... I figured it would never happen in my life time. This was literally the first (and last) time I've ever been bitten by a dog, not the last time dead people voted for Democrats in Chicago.

[ECOCKS]

Yea, must have the shirt I had on. It said "impeach Putin!"

That explains it then, KGB efficiencies in animal programming techniques are rumored to have existed for their sleeper pets project. You've exposed a whole new area of FS perfidy.

[Taz]

Here I thought it was the KGB/FSB programming of RW/UW instead. 

[ECOCKS]

Insidious!

The plot thickens!

[kievstar]

Taz, I feed and pet stray dogs all the time in Ukraine.  Never had a problem except for wife not liking me touching filthy dogs. I do stay away from dogs that roam in herds.

Were you in areas that maybe poorer.  Reason I mention this when I lived in Brazil places where dogs were eaten by the poor people, dogs were not so nice.  I do know poor people eat dogs in Ukraine (they may not admit it but it does happen).  Also drunk men being mean to dogs can make a dog angry.  If I remember from your postings, your a big guy who speaks good Russian.  You may trigger an unpleasant memory to certain dogs. 

I adopted a German shepherd in Detroit.  Was abused.  Basically was a female dog and female German shepherds are not good for dog fighting and thrown to the streets when born.  My German Shepherd is very friendly unless your a black man wearing a hat she has not met before.  Dog specialists have told me she must have been abused by a black man wearing a hat.   

[BC]

Only 4 or 5 years ago the airport here had a few dogs, but since renovation have disappeared, so is not limited to FSU.  Have also seen some in Turkey.

They were well tolerated, fed and better house-trained than some of their more western counterparts happily crapping on rugs in the house with owners swearing it was the first time or worse not swearing at all while hopping piles and puddles.

Greece seems also fairly tolerant of wandering pets feeding at restaurants.

Sadly, this year very few, if any pigeons at St Marks square in Venice.. either the sellers of corn were banned from the square or the economic crisis hit really hard.. would like to believe the former but poison is more likely in addition to...