During the siege of the Russian city of Leningrad from September 1941 to January 1944 hunger and starvation was the norm. Rats in the surrounded city swarmed the bakeries and food storage facilities, eating the limited food that was available. In an effort to cure the problem, cats were brought in from Siberia in the winter of 1943. Siberian cats were chosen as they were considered good rat catchers. Supposedly 5,000 cats were rounded up and shipped to Leningrad (I wonder how they were able to “herd” that many cats onto trains and trucks). One destination was the famous Hermitage Museum. The Hermitage has had cats since 1745 (when it was a palace) to protect its artwork and items stored in its basement, so the Siberian felines constituted reinforcements. It is said that the descendants of these cats still serve the Hermitage today, and apparently in recent times there have been up to 70 felines living there. Next: The Cat that Saved a Leningrad Family.
