Putin’s ‘peace cat’ dies

The feline, once gifted by the Russian president to a Japanese governor, has passed away

Mir the Cat, gifted by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Norihisa Satake, the governor of Japan’s Akita Prefecture, has passed away, local authorities announced on Tuesday.

The gray Siberian cat died at the age of 12, having experienced health issues for a while, the prefectural press service told TASS.

The governor got the kitten from Putin back in 2012, with the cat being named Mir (Russian for ‘Peace’) by its new owners.

The feline was a return gift from the Russian leader, who had earlier received an Akita-Inu, a large dog breed and the trademark animal of the prefecture. According to media reports at the time, Putin, a well-known dog lover, originally considered giving Satake a canine but changed his mind after learning the governor was a cat person.

The dog was named Yume (Japanese for ‘Dream’) by Putin, and repeatedly made public appearances alongside the president. Yume was given in gratitude for Russia’s help in the emergency response to the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami that caused the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster and killed at least 19,700 people across Japan.

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The kitten’s route to Japan was not easy – it had to stay in quarantine for six months upon arrival. The high-profile cat was repeatedly visited by Russian diplomats, who provided it with feline necessities.

Mir ended up in isolation again during the Covid-19 pandemic over fears it could contract the disease. At the time, Satake said the cat had become a true member of his family.

“It has a great appetite, it’s strong and cheerful, and it has a calm character. Mir gets along well with six other cats that live in our house. This is a special creature for me – my soul rests when I see its face,” the governor said at the time.