Which city loves cats. Russians love cats more than anyone in the world

According to scientists from the University of Lyon (France), there are 400 million domestic cats on the planet, and most of them live in the United States. However, despite this, Australia still occupies the first place in the world in terms of the number of cats, because there are 9 cats for every ten inhabitants. In Asia, Indonesia ranks first in terms of the number of cats, where more than 30 million of these animals live, and in Europe - France, whose inhabitants take care of 8 million domestic cats. There are also countries in which it is difficult to meet a domestic cat - these are Gabon, Peru and some others.

There is even a "First Cat Museum" in Germany. It has over 3 thousand exhibits, which were painstakingly collected by Angelina Ramsperger around the world. About 10 cats also serve as watchmen and caretakers in the museum.

In Japan, there is a real Cat Temple. It is located in the city of Kagoshima and was built not at all in honor of the sacred Japanese cat, but in memory of the seven cats who lived in the 17th century. In 1600, one commander took these cats with him to the war, and on it they served for the soldiers ... for hours! By constricting or expanding pupils of cats, the Japanese could determine the time. Today this temple is most often visited by watchmakers.

Cats have had the hardest time today, perhaps in America, although they are considered one of the most beloved pets there. In the late 80s in California, there were rumors that it was cats that carried AIDS, and Americans killed hundreds of them without listening to any denials. Scientists managed to convince frightened Americans not to do this with the greatest difficulty.

But in Vietnam, they like to eat cats first of all: cat meat is served here as a real delicacy, and even until recently there was a chain of Little Tiger restaurants in the country. However, as soon as the invasion of mice began in Vietnam, the Minister-President of the country, Fan Van Hai, ordered the restaurants to close, and the breed of domestic cats, which had become a rarity, to be revived: only this, according to the authorities, will help prevent the destruction of grain and rice by rodents.

In France, cats are more cruel: according to the laws of commerce, a kitten that is not bought for a month is ... destroyed, believing that it has no value. Many countries consider this cruel norm correct, because it allegedly allows you to control the number of animals. In the wild, of course, there is also such control, but nature itself and predators are responsible for it.

On the other hand, in Belgium (the city of Ypres) I celebrate a real cat festival: this is a whole performance in which giant puppets of black cats and cats in boots participate. Also on this day, dances, carnivals and humorous shows are held.

In America, cats are honored with the help of cat races: in the city of Little Rock, cat races are launched every year for a 150-meter distance, and the winner of the race receives the main prize - $ 2,000.

In Russia, the famous and one-of-a-kind cat theater under the direction of Yuri Kuklachev performs. Wonderful cats work there, followed by people who love these animals very much.

And on the island of Frajos in the Indian Ocean, only cats live at all! They have lived there since 1890, when a ship was wrecked on the coral reefs of the island, and the surviving sailors moved to land, but, without waiting for rescue, died. And the cats that remained on the ship managed not only to survive, but also to multiply, and today over a thousand of them live on the island. They eat fish sea ​​urchins and crustaceans.

In Egypt, cats are more respected than dogs, which are declared "unclean animals" by the Qur'an. And all because the prophet Mohammed personally loved cats very much - one fell asleep on his robe, and he had to go spread Islam. And then he cut off the floor on which the cat fell asleep - this is so as not to disturb the sleeping animal. Subsequently, Mohammed, in addition to his other titles, was also called the father of cats.

Where do the most jumping animals in the world live - kangaroos. However, marsupials lose in numbers to felines. Australia ranks first in terms of quantity in the world. For every ten inhabitants there are 9 domestic representatives of the cat family.

In the late 1980s, a rumor spread in the state of California that cats were carriers of AIDS. This led to mass killings of pets. Scientists had to spend a decent amount of time trying to prove the truth to the Americans. And today, the number of cats in the United States is not countable, but the amount they spend on feeding them. Statistics allocate 4 billion dollars a year to the food of the mustachioed-striped. This is the most big waste from the list of similar in the world. The magnitude of the amount is more striking when you consider the fact that infants contribute only $3 billion to the budget during the year.

Indonesia

On the islands between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, 30 million cats live side by side with the indigenous population.

France

Of the European countries, the championship in the number of cats remains with France. "Frogs", as the French are called by residents of other countries, have warmed a little more than 8 million meowers on their territory.

Frejos

A unique island in the Indian Ocean is a real cat state. The only owners of this territory are cats. The shipwreck that occurred in 1980 off the coast of Frejos is to blame. A few people still survived and made it to land, taking with them a few cats. Only if people could not take root in this area, then cats gradually adapted to new conditions, learned to get their own food and began to multiply. Feeding primarily on sea creatures, the island's cat population numbers over a thousand individuals.

Other countries

However, few of the existing 400 million felines have been honored to live in Peru or Gabon. In these countries, cats are an outlandish rarity, something of a tourist attraction.

In Vietnam, until some time, cats were treated as a delicacy. There was even a chain of specialty restaurants. Everything changed the moment the country was invaded by mice. By official order, the restaurants were closed and the conscious breeding of cats began.

The first cat museum in Germany can present the audience with about three thousand exhibits. At the positions of watchmen and caretakers in the museum, there are 10 cats who receive a salary in kind - food and houses above their heads.

The Japanese temple of cats exists in honor of very special animals - cats that served in the war for hours. In the 17th century, one of the military leaders took seven cats into the army, by the narrowing and expanding pupils of which the Japanese determined the time.

In recent decades in modern world the question of eating meat has become extremely aggravated. This is due, first of all, to the movements of various organizations that advocate for the rights of animals. This situation led to the popularization of vegetarianism, and also gave impetus to a large number scientific research aimed at clarifying the issue of the benefits and harms of meat. The article will discuss where cats are eaten in Europe and other parts of the world.

Cat meat is taboo

Considering the questions of where cats are eaten, in which country, it should be said that in most of our planet, cat meat is considered taboo, that is, such food, the use of which is not welcomed and rejected for religious or social reasons. If any modern person in Western society is pointed to a certain dish and told that it is fried cat meat, then this person’s hair will stand on end and, to put it mildly, his appetite will disappear. Such a reaction is purely psychological in nature and is associated with cultural values ​​and the society in which a person grew up.

However, if the same words are said, for example, to a Chinese, then the reaction will be completely opposite, since in some areas of this Asian giant, cat meat is sold in the markets and various delicacies are prepared from it.

Why is cat meat forbidden to eat?

When asked about where cats are eaten in Europe, it should be said that nowhere, since European Union legislation prohibits the consumption of meat from this domestic animal. There are two reasons for this: firstly, in Europe, cat meat is taboo, and secondly, this ban is associated with sanitary standards. Unlike beef or pork, there are no sanitary checks for cat meat for the presence of any pests and disease vectors that can be dangerous to humans. Therefore, any trade in cat meat threatens with heavy fines and arrest.

The ban on eating cat meat in European countries does not mean that it is not eaten at all.

Swiss "duck"

A couple of years ago, information appeared on the Internet that in Switzerland, a certain young chef Moritz Brunner (Moritz Brunner) opened a restaurant in which he offers his visitors to taste fried cat meat prepared according to the famous recipe of his grandmother. Moreover, in his video, Moritz assured that in Switzerland the meat of this domestic fluffy is eaten by 3% of his compatriots.

In the end, it turned out that the video was a "duck" and no Moritz Brunner and the restaurant did not exist. The video was filmed specifically by one of the animal rights organizations, which, using the example of cat meat, promoted their slogans to stop eating this animal product altogether.

Italian scandal

And yet, questions about where cats are eaten, in which country in Europe, are not without meaning. Italy is a prime example. In 2013, the Association for the Protection of Animal Rights sounded the alarm, as it became known that in many restaurants in Rome and other major cities for cooking, cat meat is used, which is passed off as domestic rabbit meat.

Why Italy? In the first decade of the 21st century, the country was going through an economic crisis, which is why some restaurants decided to use relatively cheap cat meat. As a rule, these are Chinese restaurants. Given that there were about 120,000 stray cats in Rome alone in 2001, it's not hard to guess where restaurants in Italy got their meat from. At the same time, the "cat business" was engaged not only in Rome, but also in many regions of the north of the country. All people involved in this case were sentenced to imprisonment for a term of 3 to 18 months, since Italian law provides for this penalty for any mockery of domestic animals. However, there are still places in Italy where cats are eaten illegally.

Where else was cat meat consumed in Europe?

It is rather difficult to answer this question, since cats were eaten in almost all countries. Cats came to Europe from eastern countries, and brought them as a means of fighting rats. The rapid reproduction of these domestic predators was successfully used by people for their cuisine, this happened, as a rule, during periods of famine. In the Middle Ages, however, cat meat was considered the food of the poor.

If we consider recent history, then we can say the following: it is known for sure that in 1940 Germany legalized the consumption of meat of dogs, cats and other animals, including animals from the zoo. The same situation existed in Belgium, in France, in Austria and, of course, in Italy in the periods after the First and Second World Wars.

Cat meat in Europe is still "flowers"

If we expand the list of countries where cats are eaten outside of Europe, then it must be said that at present there are 2 countries where the meat of this animal can be sold and bought legally. These are China and South Korea. You can also buy cat patties illegally in Vietnam, Tahiti and the Hawaiian Islands (US state).

In China, a country where dogs and cats are eaten, for example, there are a lot of markets where they sell pet meat. As a rule, these markets are located in the southeastern part of the country and in some of its northern regions. Here you can also try a wide variety of dishes prepared on the basis of meat, which is prohibited in the rest of the planet.

As for South Korea, according to general estimates, about 8-10% of the population eat cat meat.

The struggle in Vietnam and especially in Tahiti with the commercialization of the meat of the animal in question did not lead to much; in Tahiti, dishes based on it are considered traditional and are too closely connected with the culture of the peoples of the country. In Vietnam, as well as in South Korea and China, there are too many people, but resources for raising, for example, piglets or cows, are very limited, so pet meat will be in demand here for a long time to come.

However, in recent decades, there has been a strong influence of Western culture on these countries, which has led to a significant reduction in the volume of trade in cat meat, and in some cases to its complete abandonment. A prime example is the ban on any trade in cat and dog meat in Taiwan in 2017.

Why do many organizations around the world oppose the consumption of animal meat for food?

If we take into account the countries where cats are legally eaten, then the whole problem is not the fact of the ban on meat for western man, but in how mining occurs. The fact is that cats and dogs are literally bullied before they are eaten. In particular, they are kept in cages for weeks and months and use inhuman methods to kill them. That is why many animal rights organizations, and many citizens different countries oppose the consumption of meat of domestic animals by humans.

The status of cats has changed a lot in history. Everyone knows that in ancient Egypt they were considered sacred, the life of a cat was deified and placed above many human ones. IN different cultures fluffy domesticated animals were treated differently. In addition to the Egyptians, mustachioed pets were praised in Asia and Scandinavia. The cat is the only animal allowed to enter the mosque. On the other hand, in Buddhism they had a rather controversial reputation, and in some countries of medieval Europe they even received the stigma of assistants of witches.

Now purring creatures do not have such a loud and sacred title, but they deservedly acquired the status of one of the most popular pets. In which countries are they most common? What place can be called a cat's paradise?

Where do cats live?

The UK opens the top five, where even high-ranking officials cannot resist the charm of cats. Almost 8 million animals have found their shelter in the kingdom.

Fourth place is shared by two romantic states in the very center of Europe - France and Italy. Their small territories account for 10 million domestic cats.

On the honorable third line are also two countries - Russia and Brazil. Although the latter has many more dog companions. They were responsible for keeping 12 million animals each. By the way, according to internal research, 30 million cats live in Russia. But the second place is still far away.

Silver goes to China, which is not surprising, because if there is something in China, then there is a lot of it. Here are cats - pets in China, there were as many as 53 million!

Ahead of the rest, however, as always, the United States. More than 76 million furry pets live in American houses and apartments, which makes them a real national symbol, albeit an unofficial one.

Compared to the number of people, in the United States there are 3 domestic cats for ten people, which is also a record. If we take into account both wild and domestic, then Australia is in the lead. On green, the proportion is 9 to 10!

Cats vs dogs

It is these two species that are considered leaders among our smaller brothers in coexistence with humans, but in different regions their ratio can vary greatly.

In Russia, dogs are inferior by 25%, in Europe by 30% (except for Spain, the Czech Republic and Poland). Residents of Canada, Egypt and New Zealand prefer cats almost twice as often as dogs. Barbels live even more freely in Switzerland, Austria and Turkey (the advantage is three times), as well as in Indonesia, where there are four cats per dog. But the biggest difference is recorded in Saudi Arabia. And let meowing there is less than a hundred thousand, but barking many times less.

The most "dog" places can be called China, African and South American continents. The situation is worst in India, where there are more than ten dogs per one kitty. The incredible geographic reach of cats has spawned many interesting stories associated with cats and their habitats.

Even in our time, cats are revered much higher than just pets. This happens in Japan, where a whole cult is dedicated to them. From Japan, the fashion for cat cafes has gone, in which these animals carelessly walk around right next to the visitors.

The tailed ones also have their own paradise island, it is called Frejos. According to legend, a ship carrying animals crashed off its shores. True or not, but to this day, a thousand cats lead their measured life on the island.

Having already broken all records for love for their furry pets, the Americans were surprised by one more fact. On average, all US residents spend $3 billion a year on children's food and $4 billion on pet treats.