Controversy over dead Twiks cat in Russia: simply thrown off the train

In Russia, a train conductor threw what appeared to be a stray cat out of a compartment in the freezing cold, sparking widespread horror. After a long search by hundreds of volunteers, the cat named Twiks was found dead according to its owner, Russian media report.

“The passengers noticed the tomcat running around in the carriage unattended,” a state railway statement said. The train conductor then threw the animal out of the carriage, because she suspected that the owner was looking for his cat at the station.

Only ten hours after departure from Kirov did the passenger, who had probably been sleeping, report the cat as missing to the train staff.

Russia’s state railway RZD apologized for the incident and announced a change in its policy. Therefore, in such cases, in the future, animals should only be handed over directly to station staff so that they can find the owner or place them in a home.

Shocked citizens published a resolution on the change.org platform calling on the railways to fire the employee for the brutal treatment of the animal. By Sunday afternoon, more than 280,000 signatures had been collected.

According to Russian Railways, the train conductor assumed it was a stray animal that may have climbed into the carriage during a stop in Kirov. It was said that the railway had started an internal procedure. The woman asked passengers on the train from Yekaterinburg heading to St. Petersburg if the animal belonged to anyone. No one answered.

According to the State Railways, the incident occurred on January 11. After days of searching, it was announced on Saturday that Twiks was found dead that morning about a kilometer from Kirov train station. He reportedly recently underwent surgery and did not survive the freezing temperatures in the snow. (sda/dpa)