The Achilles cat from the Hermitage once again wished success to the Russian team. Who gets the "meow"? Hermitage Cat Oracle Achilles
The oracle cat Achilles from the St. Petersburg State Hermitage Museum is preparing for the World Cup: he is under the constant supervision of veterinarians and regularly communicates with journalists. Achilles poses and meows, and the volunteer accompanying him gives interesting interviews.
Achilles has already shown his oracle abilities at the Confederations Cup in 2017. He correctly predicted the results of all matches, except for one - between the national teams of Cameroon and Australia.
photo RIA Novosti
The official oracle of the World Cup, the Hermitage cat Achilles, now appears before journalists in a new image - he is wearing a red T-shirt with the number "250". This is the last round date of the Hermitage's birthday. The cat subculture of the Winter Palace is considered to have originated in 1745, when, by decree of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, they were brought there from Kazan - it was believed that Kazan cats were the best in terms of catching rats.
Today Achilles (by the way, the cat is deaf, this is his Achilles' heel) is in a special position. He lives in the Republic of Cats alternative shelter, and Anna Kondratyeva, the director of the institution, who is also the chief veterinarian of the Hermitage, specially brings him to events with the participation of the press. And at Anna's house lives Achilles' father - Jean-Baptiste-Michel Vallin-Delamot, named after the eminent architect.
Achilles is at an ordinary cat boarding school, his way of life differs from the way of life of his Hermitage counterparts exclusively in the social circle, which includes more people than cats. But every morning before the start of the next World Cup match, Anna will bring him to a specially designated place, which is still kept secret - and there he will predict the fate of the games in front of journalists. Two bowls of food and two houses will be placed in front of the cat, each bowl-house pair will have the national flag of the participant in the upcoming match, Achilles will only have to choose a bowl or house to predict the outcome of the match. Anna Kondratieva assured the SOYUZ correspondent that the bowls and houses would be exactly the same, and that she would bring the bag of food sealed every time and open it in the presence of journalists so that no one doubted that both bowls contained the same food.
I must say that Achilles the cat showed his abilities as an oracle at the Confederations Cup, held in St. Petersburg in 2017. He correctly predicted the results of all matches, except for one - between the national teams of Cameroon and Australia. The match ended in a draw, Achilles probably foresaw this, but he could not explain - he was offered only two options. By the way, during the World Cup, Achilles will already be able to predict draws - in this case, he will not want to eat or hide in the house.
Today, about 70 cats live in 18 kilometers of Hermitage corridors and courtyards. They live in prides, each with its own territory. The history of organized care for these animals, which began in 1745, continued in 1999, when Maria Khaltunen, Assistant Director of the State Hermitage Museum, and her associates set about caring for these residents of the Winter Palace. Today, Maria has a second official position - she is the press secretary of the Hermitage cats.
During the World Cup, Achilles will be able to predict draws:in this case, he will not want to eat or hide in the house
photo PETER KOVALEV / TASS
The feline subculture of the Hermitage has a well-established way of life: cats are fed, vaccinated, castrated, cleaned up after them, treated when the need arises. All these important things are done by 4 volunteers. In addition, the Hermitage cats already have their own permanent sponsors who provide them with food, litter for toilets and other necessary accessories. There are also places for donations for cats in the museum, where everyone can put a couple of coins or a small bill. According to Maria Khaltunen, it all started in the 1990s, when the Hermitage employees, who had tender feelings for cats, began not only to bring them food from home, but also to walk among their colleagues with envelopes on which was written “A ruble for cats”. Today, Maria is proud that the materialized goodwill of philanthropists, volunteers and simply caring people is enough for the full maintenance of the cat world of one of the most beautiful museums on the planet.
The most famous fortune teller cat in Russia lives in St. Petersburg. His name is Achilles, he is two and a half years old, and he is a hermitage cat. His father, the white cat Wallen Delamotte, and his mother, Luna Smetankina, have been in the service of the State Hermitage Museum for many years, valiantly guarding the museum's masterpieces from rodents.
Snow-white Achilles also followed in the footsteps of his parents, but, thanks to his extraordinary abilities, he gained worldwide fame as an oracle that can predict the outcome football matches choosing a bowl of food under the flag of the winning team.
Achilles is unusually active, inquisitive and friendly. The Hermitage employees are sure that Achilles does not give random forecasts, but can analyze situations and events, which helps to make correct predictions.
This blue-eyed oracle is deaf from birth, so his intuition is especially developed: his choice cannot be influenced by any "kit-kitty" or frightened by clapping or clicking cameras. He is not afraid of journalists and can predict the result with a large crowd of spectators.
Oracle Cat Predictions
The cat will predict the outcome of the Championship matches taking place in St. Petersburg: July 14, 2018.
Achilles predicted Belgian victory over France
July 10, 2018
Achilles predicted the victory of Switzerland over Sweden ⚽
July 3, 2018
Achilles predicted Nigeria's victory over Argentina
June 26, 2018 official oracle of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Achilles cat for the next match, which will be held today in St. Petersburg.
Achilles predicted Brazil's victory over Costa Rica⚽
June 22, 2018 official oracle of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Achilles cat for the next match, which will be held today in St. Petersburg.
Achilles predicted Russia's victory over Egypt 🇷🇺⚽
June 19 at 10:00 in the Hall of the Art of the Northern Black Sea Region of the State Hermitage the oracle cat Achilles of the Russia-Egypt match. According to the forecast of the fluffy oracle, the Russian team will win the match group stage 2018 FIFA World Cup against Egypt.
Oracle: Iran will beat Morocco⚽
June 15 Achilles the cat, the official oracle of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, gave his cat for the first match, which will take place today in St. Petersburg.
Achilles the cat predicted the victory of the Russian team🇷🇺⚽
June 13 Hermitage cat Achilles of the Russian team in the opening match of the World Cup against Saudi Arabia. The forecast was made in the city press center of St. Petersburg.
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Achilles already showed his talent during the Confederations Cup in 2017, confidently predicting the results of three matches, wrong in only one draw.Although, according to his fans, this result can also be counted, since the “draw” option was simply not provided. The Hermitage Cat, who gained fame as a predictor at the Confederations Cup, continues to perform at the 2018 World Championships. This is a joint project Committee for Tourism Development of St. Petersburg and the State Hermitage. Achilles is fully prepared for work during the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He recently underwent a full medical examination and, according to the chief curator and veterinarian of the Hermitage cats, the founder of the Cat Museum, Anna Kondratyeva, spent a long vacation with a foster family. The rest that the cat allowed himself after the Confederations Cup brought him not only fresh strength, but also an extra 800 grams of weight. In order to return sportswear Achilles was prescribed active games and a balanced diet. |
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At the moment, the cat lives in, where daily health monitoring takes place on a specialdesigned automatic feeder "Delilah", equipped with weight analyzers and accurate balanced feed calculation. According to the latest data, the Hermitage fortune-teller cat Achilles got into shape before the world championship. Like last summer, the wise animal is preparing to predict the results of football battles taking place in St. Petersburg. In addition to a strict diet and daily routine, Achilles the cat takes an active part in the public life of the city on the Neva. On May 26, the snow-white oracle could be seen at the Parade of retrotransport in honor of the 315th anniversary of the Northern capital. And on June 1, the cat visited the children's hospice in St. Petersburg. Anna Kondratieva said that cat Achilles will make predictions in the same way as last year, in the Hermitage, choosing between two bowls of food, next to which will be the flags of the teams participating in the duel. Achilles is already ready for the World Cup, and we will be looking forward to his new predictions! |
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Preparing the cat Achilles for the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Petersburg cats
Hermitage cats are one of the tourist brands of St. Petersburg. According to legend, the first royal cat was brought from Holland and put into service in the palace by Peter I. Empress Elizabeth issued a “Decree on the deportation of cats to the court”, according to which rat-catchers from Kazan were brought to her palace.
Catherine II granted the descendants of these cats the status of state guards of art galleries and settled them in the Hermitage.
For St. Petersburg, cats are of particular importance: in the besieged city, they saved many Leningraders from hunger and from the invasion of rats. Dozens of sculptural compositions and monuments with a cat are installed in the city, including the famous ones in the city center, which annually attract thousands of tourists.In our city, holidays and festivals dedicated to cats (, and cats) are held annually, there is a museum of cats and a cat cafe.
Cats and cats are the most popular pets of Petersburgers. They play an important role for St. Petersburg and are closely connected with the city's history and culture. There is even a special , dedicated to the cats of St. Petersburg.
Action "My love is football and a cat" in St. Petersburg
On the eve of the 2018 World Cup, the action "My love is football and a cat" is taking place in St. Petersburg. .jpg)
On May 26, the FIFA 2018 oracle cat Achilles and 32 other figures of cats representing the countries participating in the upcoming World Cup drove with a parade of retro cars along Nevsky Prospect, and then were presented to the public in the Tauride Garden and on the pedestrian (on the occasion of City Day) Inzhenernaya Street. So St. Petersburg cats become not only a city landmark, but also a living symbol of the main sporting event in the world this year, akin to Olympic Bear 1980
The next public walk of the cats will take place the 9th of June on the Day of the St. Petersburg Cat on Konnogvardeysky Boulevard (which for one day will become KOTOgvardeysky).
32 growth figures of cats with soccer balls painted by the best artists of St. Petersburg as part of the charity event “My love is football and a cat.” The campaign is held on the eve of the World Cup. During the charity project, cats from shelters will be adopted by the families of football fans who have come to St. Petersburg for the World Cup matches, and the snow-white Hermitage cat has been chosen as the main oracle cat. cat Achilles.
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Authors painted cats - famous artists of St. Petersburg: Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Oleg Yakhnin, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Boris Zabirokhin, Alla Dzhigirey, Olga Shvederskaya, Irina Bykova-Goldovskaya, Nadezhda Anfalova, Valerius, Tatyana Petrova, Dmitry Shagin (Mitki) and others.
This citywide and international event is supported by the Committee for Tourism Development of St. Petersburg. One of the goals of the project is to attract the attention of citizens and fans from 32 countries to the problem of homeless animals, as well as the image of the city as the capital of cat culture. As part of the project, many who wish will be able to give a family to cats from shelters. Perhaps some of them will leave for other cities and countries.
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There will also be a series charity events to promote the idea of animal welfare.
During the Championship, all 32 cats will be installed in different places in the Central District. Those who met them will be invited to take part, collect photos of all the figures and receive gifts from philanthropists, the Republic of Cats cat cafe and the Fan Club of the Russian national team.
In addition, a poetry competition will be held, as well as famous St. Petersburg cats - Tisha Matroskina, Elisha and Vasilisa from Malaya Sadovaya Street - will be washed, repaired and dressed in fan uniforms . From June 15 to July 15 Buses with painted figures will run around the city.
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How is the cat-oracle doing: news from the life of the cat-predictor Achilles
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The official oracle of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the cat Achilles, made his seventh prediction for the next match, which will take place today in St. Petersburg. |
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The official oracle of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the cat Achilles, made his sixth prediction for the next match, which will take place today in St. Petersburg. |
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The official oracle of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the cat Achilles, made his fifth prediction for the next match, which will take place today in St. Petersburg. |
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The official oracle of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the cat Achilles, made his fourth prediction for the next match, which will take place today in St. Petersburg. |
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On June 19 at 10:00 in the Hall of Art of the Northern Black Sea Coast of the State Hermitage, the oracle cat Achilles chose the winning team of the Russia - Egypt match. According to the forecast of the furry oracle, the Russian team will win in the group stage match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup against the Egyptian team. |
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On June 19, 2018 at 10:00 in the State Hermitage in Hall No. 116 (Hall of Art of the Northern Black Sea Coast), the Hermitage cat-oracle Achilles will choose the winning team of the Russia-Egypt match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in St. Petersburg at the stadium " Saint Petersburg". |
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Cat Achilles from the State Hermitage was chosen to predict the matches of the Confederations Cup starting on June 17. He will predict the victory of a particular team by choosing a bowl of food.
Approved the candidacy of the oracle former football player Russian national team Alexander Kerzhakov, who became the ambassador of the 2018 FIFA World Cup from St. Petersburg.
A press conference was held in St. Petersburg dedicated to the opening of the local press center of the Confederations Cup and the city’s readiness for the tournament. Among the invited guests was top scorer in the history of Zenit and the Russian national team Alexander Kerzhakov. He announced that he became the ambassador of the Northern capital at the world championship next year.
“It is a great honor for me to represent St. Petersburg, to be the ambassador of this city. For Russia, the World Cup is a very significant event. This is the most important football tournament. This world championship will be the best in history. The Russians have a huge soul, and they do everything so that everyone likes and remembers. I want to wish future guests that after the World Cup they return to wonderful St. Petersburg, enjoy its beauties, ”said Kerzhakov.
Ever since football fans were surprised by the octopus predictor Paul at the 2010 World Cup, it has become customary to have an animal at every tournament that will guess the results of matches.
Alexei Bogdanov, Deputy Director of the State Hermitage Museum, announced that one of the famous museum cats had been selected to become the oracle of the Confederations Cup. The choice fell on the snow-white Achilles because of his activity and tendency to atypical behavior for cats.
“In the hanging garden of the Hermitage, we will make a special enclosure so that Achilles can make predictions. He will be offered two bowls of food marked with the flags of the teams playing. The team that the cat chooses first will be able to hope for victory. Achilles was also chosen because he is deaf, so that he will not be intimidated by journalists and will make an impartial choice, ”said Maria Khaltunen, spokeswoman for the Hermitage cats.
Achilles commented on the appointment with a modest meow and winked at the assembled journalists with one eye - he received a small injury to his muzzle in a recent fight with other cats of the Hermitage. According to a museum employee, the militant nature of Achilles, inherent in football players, was another reason why he would predict the results of the Confederations Cup.
Haltunen denied the speculation of one of the correspondents that bookmakers would influence the cat's preferences - Achilles' new position was kept secret for a long time.
When asked whether the offspring of the cat would bear the names of the players of the Russian national team, there was a negative answer - since the time of Elizabeth Petrovna, who allowed cats to settle in the Winter Palace, all tailed employees of the Hermitage have been castrated.
Kerzhakov liked the choice of Achilles as a predictor cat. According to him, his pet would not have coped with this role.
“I have a dog at home, but she would not be able to become an oracle - she would have eaten the first bowl that was given to her without waiting for the second. In football, I often had to deal with cats or dogs running out onto the field, but, fortunately, they did not affect the course of the matches, ”said the new ambassador of St. Petersburg.
During the next session of predictions, he confidently chose a bowl of food, which stood next to the Russian flag, reports TASS.
The procedure took place in the Hermitage. For the purity of the predictions, this time Achilles was poured food from the same bag and the cat was released at a distance from the bowls. He immediately went to the Russian flag and ate all the food from the bowl. After that, he puzzled those present a bit by going to the bowl with the Egyptian flag and eating from there. Nevertheless, the organizers are sure that he certainly made a choice in favor of Russia.
At the start of the World Cup, he unmistakably match Russia Saudi Arabia. The team of Stanislav Cherchesov, which was pointed out by the cat during the forecast, on Thursday with a score of 5:0. Furry forecaster's forecast for Iran Morocco also turned out to be accurate: the Iranian team won.
The NTV.Ru website will lead text broadcast match Russia Egypt. Start at 21:00.
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