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Ban on Russian cats from overseas exhibitions laughable, Moscow circus director says

Edgard Zapashny is convinced that Russian cats will remain loved and well-fed despite the decision of the International Cat Federation

MOSCOW, March 3. /TASS/. The ban of the International Federation of Cats (Federation Internationale Feline, FIFe) on the participation of animals from Russia in international exhibitions can only cause a smile, general director of the Great Moscow State Circus, National Artist of Russia Edgard Zapashny told TASS on Thursday.

"This is a temporary phenomenon, non-binding measures. They will not cause anything, except, probably, a smile. I am convinced that our cats will remain loved, well-fed, satisfied. Well, they won't go to competitions for a while, which proves once again that they are also athletes," Zapashny said.

In turn, the art director of the Theater of Cats, Yuriy Kuklachev expressed to TASS the opinion that the ban would not negatively affect the business profile in Russia. "The topic is very serious," he noted with irony. "Sanctions have already been imposed against cats. Russian cats are very annoying to businessmen who lose a lot of money, <...> because our producers are among the best in the world."

Amid the situation in Ukraine, the International Cat Federation has imposed a ban on the participation of cats and cats whose owners live in Russia in international exhibitions since March 1 this year. The statement is published on the organization's website. Also, from the moment the ban comes into force, no cat bred in Russia will be allowed to be included in the pedigree books of FIFe abroad. The restrictions will be in effect until May 31, 2022, and will be revised if necessary.

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