India, Oct. 7 -- Living in a country where you can "pspsps" at cats wandering the streets, and where countless felines are cherished members of families, it is hard to imagine a place where these furry, boba-eyed creatures are actually banned. Yet, in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago that is home to the world's northernmost settlement, cats are prohibited. In this edition of Travel Trivia, we explore the peculiar regulations that keep cats from entering Svalbard and the surprising reason behind the ban.

The unusual rule banning cats in Svalbard has little to do with a dislike of our feline friends and everything to do with protecting the archipelago's fragile Arctic ecosystem.

Life in the world's northernmost settlement comes with a un...