A Yekaterinburg resident announced Monday that his 3-month-old kitten Bublik would seek to break into Russian politics, inspired by a U.S. Senate bid by a Virginia cat named Hank.
"Our cats can also enter big politics," the cat's owner, Ivan Kolotovkin, said in a statement. "The main thing is to find supporters."
He noted that Hank's Facebook page already has more than 21,000 "likes" and promised a similar number for Bublik, named after a traditional Russian snack that resembles a bagel but tastes more like a cracker.
Bublik's Facebook had only 18 "likes" on Monday, while its page on the Vkontakte social network doubled to 108 followers over the course of the afternoon.
Hank, an 8-year-old former street cat, made headlines in the United States after announcing its candidacy in February with a , a , a and a campaign advertisement.
Hank, who is running as an independent candidate promising to create jobs, is vying for a seat being vacated by Senator James Webb, a Democrat. The feline is up against two former Virginia governors, George Allen, a Republican, and Tim Kaine, a Democrat.
Kolotovkin, who described himself as Bublik's press secretary, gave little information on the cat's political leanings or aspirations, but said its slogan was "For a Fun Future!"
He said the cat would write to Hank in the next few days to express its support and willingness to cooperate. "If Hank the cat takes the U.S. Senate seat, cats between different countries could collaborate in productive ways," he said.
U.S. and Russian laws do not directly ban animals from politics, but they include age and citizenship requirements that would be hard for the cats to meet.
Still, some pets have held political office in the United States. A black Rottweiler-Labrador Retriever served as mayor of the unincorporated town of Sunol, California, from 1981 to 1990, to The Bark dog magazine. The dog, named Bosco Ramos, beat two human candidates after initially being placed on the ballot as a joke.
