Garfield from Galich, Kisel from Zaraysk, the Queen of Sheba from the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin—every frame in this book holds an extraordinary cat story. The author, together with his wife, traveled across Russia to show that cats are the most accurate mirror of the character of our cities. A warm, touching journey through the country through the eyes of its furry inhabitants.
And what if cats are not just adorable creatures, but a real litmus test of city life? A book that grew out of a popular Telegram channel offers a way to see Russia through the lives of street cats. Kirill Veprikov and his wife spent four years driving around the country—from Vyborg to Verkhoturye, from Smolensk to Soligalich—and noticed a pattern: the way neighborhood cats live says a great deal about humaneness and care in the urban environment.
Furry characters against the backdrop of carved manor houses, Kremlin walls, and the expanses of the Volga. But behind the photographs there is always a story: an adventurer cat, Garfield from Galich; a wanderer, Kisel from Zaraysk; the majestic Queen of Sheba from the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin. This is a tender and consistently bright study of Russia through the gaze of those who watch it from windowsills in old houses and from the parapets of monastery walls.