Cats in Odesa have always been more than just animals — they’ve been full-fledged residents of the city. People even build little houses for them, and the Odesa City Council has officially recognized them as part of the ecosystem. There are plenty of them here, and they all seem pretty well-fed. Lately, the city has even started erecting monuments to these furry locals.
«As the Odesa folk wisdom goes, “Life just isn’t the same without a cat”. And it’s absolutely right — how would we survive in this tough world without our feline friends? Truly, wherever you go, you’re bound to bump into a creature with a cat-like charm. But Odesa cats are something truly special. You see, unlike their lazy counterparts in other cities, these cats actually work! You’ll find them everywhere! They grace the windows of jewelry shops, serving as four-legged display models (yep, jewelers love draping some of their pieces on these furry fashionistas). They work at post offices, sorting letters and parcels, or simply lounging on the correspondence, giving it that unmistakable “cat vibe”. Many enterprising kitties also lend a paw in retail — they’ve been instrumental in clearing out rats and mice, and they’re also pros in promotion, marketing, and merchandising (did you know? Any cat will make a window display ten times more charming and creatively enhance the process of arranging goods on shelves).
Odesa’s cats even team up with restaurant owners to battle pests, taste-test products for quality (if there’s a kitty in a café, you know the food is top-notch, because no self-respecting cat will eat bad food), and of course, they bring joy to all the visitors.
Odesa is truly a city of cats. And Odesites treat their cats with such tenderness and affection, with love and respect….
A cat is a revered member of many Odesa families… Sometimes, the number of cats in a household can reach a whole dozen….
