But the land on which the factory sits was recently sold, and the buildings will soon be demolished. In this abandoned place, there are hardly any visible human traces, but there are many small felines.
The animals, which have lived here for decades, certainly don’t want to leave the walls of their homes, but eventually they will have to. « Where do the cats in the factory come from? » you might ask.
Cats and cats had a special place in the history of the Soviet aircraft industry. During the war, the factory even had a plan for cats. Mustachioed felines were specially brought to the factory to prevent pests from chewing through cables and destroying aircraft mechanics.
Gradually, each store became home to its own herd of cats – fed, cared for and cared for. After the war, there was even a tradition – the guests of the factory received tasty things to feed the cats.
Soon the animals felt like full masters of the factory, and they roamed freely, even in the offices and canteens of the management. In the 1990s, the fate of the factory was rather murky, MiG suffered a lot. The last plane was assembled here in 2017, production moved elsewhere, and the workers left too.
The cats started running wild, getting sick from cold and malnutrition, and dying. The ancients remembered that at night, hungry cats gathered near the main gate and mewed pitifully. Sometimes they were lucky: people who cared about them gave them chicken.
This resilient little feline army has survived a lot, but in 20 years its strength has waned, and the cats would have gone, but help came when it was least expected.
Volunteers became aware of the sad situation of the animals and launched an operation to save the cats from the factory. Almost all of the cats were emaciated or sick. They are now neutered and socialized. More than 40 « factory workers » have already found homes.
Cats are saved only through donations; it is the largest enthusiast-funded animal rescue project of this magnitude.
