Firefighter cat Semyon.
Natalya Gorshkova/SputnikWe've already shown how cats work in museums (and even once saved the Hermitage!). And, now, we suggest you get to know some real working cats from fire stations all over Russia. Some of them not only work, but also manage to run their own blogs on social networks!
The most famous firefighter cat is Semyon from the village of Borovsky in Tyumen Region. A few years ago, he was brought from home by an employee of the fire department, due to his family being allergic to cats. He did not want to part with him, so Semyon literally began to live at work.
Operator of the fire and rescue unit Olga Zinovieva sewed him a mini uniform and he now has his own place at morning meetings. He’s not afraid of either the noise of cars or sirens while meeting and escorting his colleagues to emergency calls. The firefighters, meanwhile, view him as their mascot.
Semyon was promoted to the special rank of command sergeant major of the Internal Service. Unfortunately, in the Spring of 2023, he foolishly ran out onto the road and died after being hit by a vehicle. But new young firefighter cats are now named in his honor – Semyonychi – and photos of new feline "recruits" are regularly published on his official page on social networks.
In late September 2023, in the 40th fire-rescue unit of the city of Tyumen, a kitten named Senya appeared. He is to replace Marusya, who is going to retire after eight years of service. "At our station, cats have been living and replacing each other for decades,” says head of the unit Maxim Kurochkin.
“Here, little Senya has come to replace our aging Marusya. He is only a few months old, so the adult cat "takes patronage" over the younger generation: she shows the kitten around the premises of our unit and teaches him to protect the territory from rodents!"
The special fire and rescue unit No. 20 in the town of Korolyov (Moscow Region) has a cat named Vasily (who also responds to the name Kot, aka Cat!). Here's what he writes about himself on social networks: "In 2013, I decided to give up the free ‘street’ life. By some happy accident, I wandered onto the territory of a fire station. I liked it so much there that I decided to stay) I was accepted into its ranks and even awarded the rank of command sergeant major. I don't know what it means, but I'm proud of myself."
He has a lot of duties: to make sure everyone is in their places, to deal with mice, as well as to guard the vehicles.
For eight years, cat Ryzhy (Ginger) has been serving in Perm's Fire Rescue Unit No. 6. He first found himself there as a kitten and the firefighters thought that he would help fight rodents. But, it turned out that Ryzhy had yet another vocation: a firefighting psychologist!
He offers psychological sessions for food. As a bonus, he watches TV with his colleagues after work.
Matilda is the cat on duty at a fire station in Novgorod Region. After just a few months of work, she managed to get to know the team and fully inspect the firefighting equipment.
She pays attention to every single person and likes to sit on their lap. Because of this, locals have already tried to take her home three times; however, each time, she has escaped back to the unit. To prevent such situations from happening again, she has now been given a collar with the phone number of the unit on it.
A fire station in Krasnoyarsk, meanwhile, is home to Maria Palna, a cat that was rescued from a fire nine years ago. She was homeless, so the firefighters decided to take her into their unit. She became a freelance psychologist for the team and helps firefighters relieve stress!
This cat was also rescued by firefighters when responding to a fire. Lafet has been living in the Kursk fire and rescue unit for more than a year, monitoring the psychological state of its team members. Firefighters have an omen: if Laphet is asleep, the shift will go smoothly.
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