Kotofei

Barnaul, Altai Krai · 238 mi / 383 km

Nikomur is Barnaul's first cat cafe, an anticafe on the ground floor of Krasnoarmeyskiy Prospekt 108 near the Molodyozhnaya stop. Opened in 2018, it houses around 15 cats taken in from a shelter and selected for good health and a calm temperament; all are sterilised, vaccinated and up for adoption, and about 235 have found homes. The cafe has two rooms: one with tables, board games and the tea bar, and one with sofas, climbing frames and cat toys. Tickets are sold for one, two or three hours, with lower prices for children under 12, and include a drink and a sweets bar. Children under 12 must come with an adult. The cafe shows films on a projector, has a PlayStation, and runs workshops such as gingerbread painting, and it can be hired for parties.

• Adoptable cats

Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo Oblast · 325 mi / 524 km

MyauCafe is a cat anticafe at Prospekt Metallurgov 56 in central Novokuznetsk, next to the Dvorets Sporta stop. Opened in 2022 by a local woman who started it with the help of state social contracts, it is home to about a dozen former stray cats, and around 70 have been adopted in its first three years; each cat is posted with its age and character when it is ready for a new home. Visitors pay for the time they spend, and an album at the cafe describes every cat and how to approach it. Guests can play board games or use a game console, and the cafe doubles as a creative studio, with paid workshops such as wood burning and figure painting and film screenings on a big screen surrounded by the cats. It is popular with families and for children's birthdays.

• Adoptable cats

Novosibirsk · 347 mi / 558 km

Murchim on Ulitsa Blyukhera is the second branch of Novosibirsk's Murchim cat anticafe, on the ground floor of Ulitsa Blyukhera 63 on the left bank, about 500 metres from Studencheskaya metro station. Described by the cafe as its quieter branch, it is home to rescued cats, former strays and cats given up by owners, all of which can be adopted after an application to the cafe. Visits are charged for the first hour and then by the minute, with tea and biscuits included, and guests may bring their own food and non-alcoholic drinks. Booking is required at weekends. Slippers are provided and the entrance has a ramp. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult, and guests are asked not to wake the cats, pick them up against their will or feed them anything other than treats bought at the cafe.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking required

Novosibirsk · 349 mi / 562 km

Murchim is a cat anticafe on the ground floor of Kommunisticheskaya Ulitsa 45 in central Novosibirsk, about 800 metres from Ploshchad Lenina metro station. Opened in 2016, it is the original branch of a two-cafe project whose cats are former strays or cats from difficult homes, all looking for new families; more than 600 have been adopted through the cafe. Visits are charged for the first hour and then by the minute, with tea and biscuits included, and guests may bring their own food and soft drinks. Booking is required at weekends. Slippers are provided, children under 14 must come with an adult, and the rules ask guests not to wake cats, hold them against their will or feed them anything except treats sold at the cafe. A separate small room with game consoles can be hired for birthdays and parties. A second Murchim is on Ulitsa Blyukhera.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking required

Kemerovo · 399 mi / 642 km

Plyushka is a cat anticafe in a semi-basement at Ulitsa 9 Yanvarya 12 in Kemerovo, near the Shkola No. 80 stop, and the only cat cafe in the city. Opened in August 2020 by the Kemerovo animal charity Za Zverushek, it is home to about 15 shelter cats chosen for their sociable temperament, mostly between three and five years old with a few seniors; all are sterilised and vaccinated, and any of them can be adopted. Visitors pay by the minute, with a lower rate after the first hour and a family tariff, and tea and biscuits are included. The cats have scratching posts, window niches and a separate room where they can retreat. Guests can read, play board games and give the cats treats, and the proceeds go towards the charity's shelter.

• Adoptable cats

Karaganda · 424 mi / 682 km

U Ryzhego Kota is a cat time cafe in the Mikhailovka area of Karaganda, on the second floor of a building on Stepnaya Street, to the left of the Holy Trinity cathedral. Opened in July 2018 as the city's first cat cafe, it is run by a local animal rescue group, and the many cats living here were taken in from the street or from difficult situations. Visitors pay per hour of their stay and can stroke and play with the cats, draw or simply sit and relax, while staff look after the cats' care and treatment; cats that do not want attention are left alone. The cafe opens only on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Donations to the rescue are welcome, and the group finds new homes for the animals in its care.

• Adoptable cats