Cat Gifted By Putin Understands Japanese, Akita Prefecture Governor Says

A Siberian kitten, gifted to the head of Japan’s Akita Prefecture by Vladimir Putin six years ago, has since grown up into a big fluffy cat, who has learned to understand Japanese and wake his owner up at 6 am demanding food.

The Russian president gifted Norihisa Satake the 11-month-old grey kitten called Mir (‘Peace’) in 2012, after the governor gave him an Akita Inu pup named Yume (‘Dream’) as a sign of gratitude for Russia helping Japan deal with the aftermath of a devastating earthquake and tsunami.

Having a big, powerful stature, Siberian male cats can weigh up to 12 kg – and Mir is no exception. “The cat is healthy; he has become huge, already weighing eight kilos,” Satake said.

Satake, who has been governing the central Akita Prefecture for nearly 10 years, is a known cat lover, so Mir was a perfect gift. “In total, I have seven cats; the other six get along well with him.”

He understands Japanese. The cat responds immediately. At six in the morning, he asks for food – he comes up, touches my shoulder with his paw and starts meowing.

Satake revealed that his children call the cat ‘Miru-bo’, with ‘bo’ being a suffix typically used for little boys and cute pets.

Putin wasn’t the only Russian official to present a feline to a foreign leader. In 2013, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev gave the former Finnish President Tarja Halonen a Neva Masquerade cat named Maggie.