How much do we know about our smaller brothers? Are we aware of the possibilities of pets? Take, for example, cats. Scientists have determined that felines can travel within 600-700 kilometers from home. But among the purring creatures there are real champions. Lost cats return to their owners in another city or even country. One such hero was immortalized by the people of Murmansk. Why did they erect a monument to Semyon the cat in Murmansk?
Road home
The prototype of the bronze cat was a real character that belonged to the Sinishin family. A married couple returning from the south through Moscow lost their unlucky pet in the metropolis. They didn’t try to look for the animal: Moscow is a big city, and the probability of finding a pet there is zero.
What was the surprise of the owners when, six and a half years later, a tired, hungry, exhausted cat appeared on their doorstep. The animal mewed loudly, and when it was allowed into the house, it followed the bowl of food and, having satisfied its hunger, settled comfortably on the TV.
Legendary Semyonwalked about two thousand kilometers. This is the distance that separates Murmansk and Moscow. The event could not go unnoticed, and in 1994 the Murmansky Vestnik newspaper wrote about the traveler. Later, the cat was filmed in a short film.
For a long time this story was considered a legend, but the journalists managed to find the mistress of the purr Alevtina Mikhailovna Sinishina. The woman said that for many years she and her husband had come to terms with the loss of a pet, and the return of Semyon was a real surprise for her husband and wife.
The adventures of an amazing animal did not leave indifferent reporters, filmmakers and just caring people. Admired by the devotion of the cat to his native home, the journalist of the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper presented the spouses with his autographed book.
Monument to the cat Semyon in Murmansk: history
The idea of creating a sculpture belongs to reporter Dmitry Kachalov. The journalist suggested that the authorities acquire a kind of symbol of the city, like Chizhik-Pyzhik in St. Petersburg.
The idea was supported, but it was not immediately decided on the image of the capital of the Arctic. Enthusiasts offered to cast in bronze the mythical deity Cthulhu, a boy stuck with his tongue to a frozen hill, a reindeer, cod liver cooked according to a local recipe. However, the majority of townspeople gave their votes to Semyon. Murmansk residents chose the layout of the monument and partially paid for the installation.
The project of Nadezhda Vinyukova from Moscow won the competition of craftsmen, on the basis of which the monument to the cat Semyon was cast in Murmansk.
Openingmonument
The canvas was solemnly pulled off the sculpture on October 2, 2013. The event was timed to coincide with City Day. The ceremony was attended by the head of administration Andrey Sysoev and the mayor of Murmansk Alexei Veller. At twelve o'clock in the afternoon, the townspeople saw a well-fed cat sitting on a bench with a knapsack over his shoulders. Since then, the monument to Semyon the cat in Murmansk has been considered open.
Bronze Semyon does not look like his living brother, because it is impossible to maintain such weight after many years of travel. And cats cannot have bags with belongings. Nevertheless, the sculpture aroused great interest among the visitors of the event, especially children.
Unfortunately, the owner of the real cat was not invited to the opening. Perhaps this happened because few people believed in the authenticity of history. But Alevtina Mikhailovna is not offended. Together with her grandson, she took part in the voting, and, although she herself preferred the work of another master, the chosen monument to Semyon the cat in Murmansk does not raise any objections from the woman.
Description of the sculpture
The monument not only perpetuates the image of a traveling cat, but symbolizes the devotion of pets to their owners. The sculpture of small forms is made of bronze and covered with patina. The weight of the bronze seed is one hundred and twenty kilograms, the height is more than one meter. The animal sits on a bench 1.6 meters long. The shop is decorated with the inscription: “Cat Semyon.”
The monument to the cat Semyon in Murmansk (photo below) is an invitation to sit, think about the eternal, share your problems with a wise purr.
Believe
After the opening of the monument, the inhabitants of Murmansk immediately began to whisper their cherished desires into the ear of the bronze traveler. Belief was born at the opening ceremony. The chiefs of the city were the first to share their dreams, then the children occupied the cat. Whether the wish will come true, time will tell. And is it really that important? The main thing is that an aura of mystery has formed around the bronze cat, as it should be for urban sculpture.
Monument to the cat Semyon in Murmansk: where is it
The symbol of the capital of the Arctic is located near Semyonovskoye Lake. This is an amazing place that combines civilization and nature. Around the reservoir there is a park of culture and recreation, where you can have a bite to eat, ride a boat, and experience the thrill of the rides.
Because the name of the cat is similar to the name of the lake, one might think that the object is named after Semyon. Actually it is not. The lake was named after the Pomor Semyon Korzhev, who lived in these parts long before the appearance of the first buildings and moorings.
Monument to the cat Semyon in Murmansk (address: the shore of Semyonovskoye Lake) was installed in one of the favorite resting places of the townspeople. The nearby streets are Gagarina, Aleksandrova and the Avenue of the Heroes of the North Sea.
Other traveling cats
In Murmansk there is a monument to Semyon the cat. But the prototype of the hero is not the only animalovercoming distances. So, in 2012, residents of Rostov-on-Don lost their cat Barsik in the city of Krasnodon (Ukraine). The animal returned a month later. Purr walked a distance of 200 kilometers, crossed the Ukrainian-Russian border.
In England, the cat returned home three weeks later. The pet ran 70 kilometers through the forest. The path home of the purring creature from Holland was 150 kilometers. Similar feats were repeated by cats in France and the United States. The Persian found the owners after they moved to Oklahoma. It is noteworthy that the animal has never been in this state before.
Scientific research
The amazing ability of cats to navigate in space was studied by specialists from Germany and the United States of America. The Germans carried the purr in closed boxes around the city, and then released it. Participants of the experiment easily found their way to their home. Then the scientists complicated the task: the cats were not only taken out of the city, but they also let the animals through the maze. The results exceeded all expectations: 98% of the subjects successfully completed the puzzle. Moreover, the cats did not just get out of the maze, but did it through the exit leading home.
Americans got similar results. In the experiments of US ethologists, the animals did not see the road, because they were fast asleep, but when they woke up, they navigated the terrain without any problems.
Experiments carried out confirm the ability of cats to choose the right path, but do not explain the reasons for this behavior. One of the hypotheses is the presence of iron in the tissues of the purr,interacting with the earth's magnetic field. Their bodies are like a compass. To confirm the scientific hypothesis, a magnet was put on the cat, after which the animal had problems with orientation.
The above cases show how little people know about other beings. We should be more attentive to our smaller brothers. Maybe then the coexistence of living organisms on Earth will become more constructive.
