A row over cats has erupted between Cyprus and Turkey, adding a surprising new flavour to a long-standing stalemate between the communities of the divided island and its difficult relationship with Turkey, the divided EU country's biggest neighbour. The Cypriot Feline Society is fighting for the recognition of two separate breeds of Cypriot cats, but groups from Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus are also trying to lay claim to the island's feline legacy, the Cyprus Mail reports. "This cat belongs to its country," said Rania Razorenova, president of the Association of Cyprus Purebred Cats. "There is a real danger that foreigners - and particularly groups from Turkey - will try to officially register a Cypriot breed of cat outside Cyprus," she said.
The Cypriot Feline Society is fighting for the recognition of two separate breeds of Cypriot cats, but groups from Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus are also trying to lay claim to the island's feline legacy, the Cyprus Mail reports.
"This cat belongs to its country," said Rania Razorenova, president of the Association of Cyprus Purebred Cats. "There is a real danger that foreigners - and particularly groups from Turkey - will try to officially register a Cypriot breed of cat outside Cyprus," she said.
Once a conflict gets under way anything can be used to erect In-Group/Out-Group boundaries.
The next step: "OUR rocks are better than (sneer) YOUR rocks."
