James the Cat: why Svalbard's only cat is hiding under someone else's documents

Torn ears, scarred nose, thick red fur — this is exactly what Kesha, the only cat in Svalbard, looks like. It just so happened that keeping cats in the archipelago is strictly prohibited, and if the Norwegian side strictly observes this prohibition, then the Russians were still able to smuggle the fluffy, declaring it as a arctic fox.

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In the Arctic Svalbard, belonging to Norway, there is a Russian village of Barentsburg, which once flourished — with a large farm, a saltwater pool, a greenhouse, fairs and (attention!) cats. But all this was in the era of the Soviet Union, now the city looks like a failed high-budget movie, and there was only one cat left, and even that has to hide under the documents of the arctic fox.

In the archives of the Spitsbergen Museum there are many photos with cats that were found at least as often as reindeer, but in the 1990s cats were banned from being on the archipelago. But this is not an act of cat-hating, it's just that the authorities considered it dangerous for domestic fuzzies to live there because of the threat of the spread of rabies (from foxes) and echinococcosis (from mice). By the way, rodents appeared on the islands relatively recently — they sailed on Russian ships, adapted to harsh conditions and multiplied decently.

In addition to the ban on cats, Svalbard is famous for the ban on birth and death. Everyone who plans to die is sent to the mainland. If someone decided to leave the world right on the island, they will still be buried on the Mainland - on Svalbard even in summer + 5 ... + 10 degrees, the body will be stored forever and attract hungry predators. As for the birth, the ban works for the benefit of pregnant women — conditions are much better on the mainland, and there is an observing obstetrician on the island who will send them to the maternity hospital in time.

There are no pensioners in these latitudes, only the adult able-bodied population and their children. And Kesha's cat. Yes, back to the cat. Oddly enough, the Norwegian bureaucrats did not find fault with the cat's face and did not send him with arctic fox documents.

His life, to put it mildly, is not sugar. If you do not take into account permafrost, then the cat's problems are constant fights with real arctic foxes and other small animals. Kesha became a harsh polar beast, covered with battle scars. But like a smart cat, he doesn't mess with polar bears.

By the way, about polar bears — they feel like real masters in the archipelago, and therefore all local residents are advised to carry firearms with them in case of anything (it is not difficult to buy it in Svalbard). But it will not work just like that to kill a bear, you need to prove for a long time and reasonably that a person's life was really in danger.

Kesha has a temporary hostess who lets the cat sleep in her apartment, takes care of him and wants to take him home when the watch ends. But the cat prefers to live a free life in an abandoned house and eat in the communal dining room. The North has hardened it, and people are used to Kesha, what is the continent now?