Twix the cat's passing unites Russians in a rare moment of national grief

Russia has been gripped by a rare wave of pan-country grief over the accidental death of Twix, the cat. The feline's death, reportedly due to accidental fall from a long-distance train caused by a female train attendant, has sparked a national outcry.

So much so that the federal lawmakers have convened a special committee and hundreds of volunteers dispatched themselves in search of Twix in harsh sub-zero Russian winters before it was found dead.

Is Twix Russia's most popular cat?

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According to a poll conducted by Russia's Levada Centre, two out of three Russian nationals were familiar with Twix. The pet tragedy that has come to dominate the national conversations in Russia, is being deemed as a case study in how Russian people react to the information related to felines.

Russia's love for cats

While cats tend to dominate the internet everywhere, in Russia, the feline content is particularly popular.

About half of all Russians have at least one cat as pet at home, according to data published by Russia's Romira study in August 2023.

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A new Russian television series called Catastrophe is about a free-spirited ginger cat that talks.

What happened to Twix the Cat?

According to New York Times,a volunteer identified by her last name as Kudriashova, said that Twix's owner, Edgar Gaifullin, contacted her through social media on January 12 and asked for help finding the cat, who was traveling on the state-run train with one of Gaifullin’s relatives.

It turned out that a female attendant on the train mistook Twix for a stray and threw the cat from a passenger carriage when the train stopped in Kirov, in Russia’s northwest, according to Gaifullin and Russian Railways.

Kudriashova began posting about the missing cat in local animal chat groups.

The search effort reportedly mobilised hundreds of volunteers from across the Kirov region, drawing coverage from local news media outlets as well as the state television.

Twix's body was eventually found after a weeklong search.

What happened after Twix's death?

An online petition calling for the punishment of the railway personnel gathered about 380,000 signatures.

Russian lawmakers formed a congressional committee to overhaul animal transportation rules.

A public prosecutor's office announced that it was looking into a possible case of animal cruelty.

A conservative activist even proposed erecting a statue to Twix in Kirov.

(With inputs from agencies)