Support The Moscow Times!

Falling Cat Gets Fined

Cats land on their feet, but sometimes it is not enough to avoid trouble — as the Russian owner of a then-6-year-old feline found out when she was fined for her cat falling out of a window of her apartment and straight onto someone's car.

Zhorik the cat got away with a scare and a bloodied face after plummeting out of a fifth-story window, a district court in the Chelyabinsk Region in the Urals said on its website Monday.

The car he landed on was not so lucky, though, and sustained some dents and scratches, as well as a broken rearview mirror and windshield, the court said. The repair bill came to 23,900 rubles ($700), a sum for which the car owner sued Zhorik's owner.

A magistrate granted the lawsuit, but a district court slashed the compensation 20 percent upon appeal because the cat's landing area was a no-parking zone.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more