Cat Gifted from Vladimir Putin to Akita Governor Dies from Illness at 12; Its Name ‘Mir’ Means Peace in Russian

The Yomiuri Shimbun

21:02 JST, December 3, 2024

Mir, a male cat presented by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Akita Gov. Norihisa Satake, died on Tuesday. It was 12.

Mir is a Russian word for “peace.”

The Siberian cat was sent to Satake in February 2013 after the governor sent Putin an Akita Inu dog, named Yume, to show gratitude for Russia’s support for reconstruction after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.

Satake, a cat lover, raised and cared for Mir with other cats at home. Mir’s age is equivalent to about 64 for humans, and it had been suffering from illness.

Yume has not been seen in public since December 2016.