Putinger's Cat / Кот Путингера

"The windows in the house were blown out during the bombing, the furniture had been turned to firewood a long time ago. Mom was sleeping on the windowsill, which was as wide as a bench, sheltering from the rain and wind with an umbrella. One day, when someone found out that my mother was pregnant with me, they gave her a herring - she wanted it so much...
At home, my mother put the gift in a secluded corner, hoping to eat it after work. She told: «But when I returned in the evening, I found a tail of herring and greasy spots on the floor — the rats were feasting. It was a tragedy that only those who survived the blockade will understand.»
And there was nowhere to get the cat from. And what was there to feed it?"

"A lot of rats in long lines, led by their leaders, were moving along the Shlisselburgsky highway (Obukhovskaya Oborona Avenue) straight to the mill, where flour was ground for the whole city.

They shot at the rats, tried to crush them with tanks, but nothing worked: they climbed on and safely rode on the tanks. It was an organised, intelligent and cruel enemy..."

"For cats we gave the most dear thing we had — bread. I myself was leaving a little by little of my ration, so that later I could give this bread for the kitten to the woman whos cat had a litter."