Meowroom

Kharkiv · 1.2 mi / 1.9 km

Kytsi ta Kava (Cats and Coffee) is a specialty coffee shop and cat cafe on Hudanova Street in central Kharkiv. Opened in 2018 and run with a registered non-profit of the same name, it has kept working through the full-scale war. Around fifteen resident cats move freely around the halls, among them Sphynxes, Persians, a Bengal and ordinary moggies, and staff greet new guests and explain the house rules. There is no separate entry fee, but access to the cats comes with an order at the bar. The menu goes beyond coffee and desserts to all-day breakfasts, quiches and other light dishes. Books, manga, board games and a small laptop-friendly coworking corner make it a place to stay a while, and branded souvenirs are sold. The cafe is for ages 12 and over only, sleeping cats should be left alone, and photos are taken without flash.

Zaporizhzhia · 158 mi / 254 km

MeowCafe is a small time cafe with rescued cats on Viacheslava Zaitseva Street (formerly Lermontova Street) in Zaporizhzhia, near the city circus and the Tsyrk tram and bus stop. A young local couple opened it in early 2024 with help from a state grant. Most of the cats were evacuated by soldiers and volunteers from frontline villages in Zaporizhzhia Oblast or found injured, among them two sisters who lost their sight and cats hurt in shelling. About nine cats live here, all vaccinated and with veterinary passports, and several are available for adoption to new homes. Visitors pay by the hour and have tea and coffee, board games and game consoles at their disposal. The cafe also hosts interactive events and exhibitions of creative work. Photos are allowed without flash, and on weekends the cafe takes a one-hour midday break so the cats can rest.

• Adoptable cats

Voronezh · 173 mi / 278 km

Mr.Moore is a cat anticafe on Nikitinskaya Ulitsa in central Voronezh, about five minutes on foot from the Galereya Chizhova shopping centre. It has been open since 2015. About 20 formerly homeless cats live in two large rooms, and the cafe keeps the number below about 23 so the animals are not crowded. All of the cats are looking for homes, and hundreds have been adopted after prospective owners fill in an application. Visits are charged by time, with the hourly rate falling the longer guests stay, and tea, coffee and biscuits are included. Sleeping cats must not be woken, and the cats should not be squeezed or carried around. Guests can play board games, read or use a PlayStation 4, and the cafe holds game nights on Friday and Saturday evenings as well as film screenings.

• Adoptable cats

Voronezh · 176 mi / 283 km

Myaurum, which uses the slogan "it's all about the cats", is a charity-run cat time-cafe on Ulitsa 25 Yanvarya in Voronezh's Zheleznodorozhny district, near the DK Elektronika stop. Visitors pay only for the time they spend, with tea and biscuits included, and can sit with the cats, read, watch television, play board games or a games console, or use the free Wi-Fi. The cats are rescues looked after by volunteer curators, and each is available for adoption; the cafe posts regular updates on cats that have gone to new homes. Staff can tell visitors about the history and character of each cat. Families with children are frequent visitors. The cafe opens in the afternoon on weekdays and from late morning at weekends.

• Adoptable cats

Cherkasy · 190 mi / 306 km

CatCafe is a cat cafe on Baidy Vyshnevetskoho Street in central Cherkasy, open since 2015 and one of the longest-running cat cafes in Ukraine. More than ten cats live in the cafe and move freely around the room, with climbing shelves, houses and beds where they can rest away from guests. The cats are rescues looking for homes, and more than 90 have been adopted from the cafe so far. The menu is built around coffee, tea, cakes, desserts and ice cream rather than full meals, and treats for the cats are sold on site, since guests may not feed them their own food. Board games are available, and the cafe is popular with families and school groups, for whom it arranges group visits. It also runs occasional workshops and is open every day.

• Adoptable cats

Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast · 193 mi / 311 km

PURR Cat Cafe is a cat cafe on Universytetskyi Avenue in Kryvyi Rih's Saksahanskyi District, in the 97th kvartal area. It is split into two zones: a separate room where the cats live and guests can drink coffee and play with them, and a cat-free area for eating in peace. The resident cats are rescues, and staff can tell visitors about each one and its health. Entry to the cat room comes with a minimum order per adult rather than an hourly fee. The menu covers coffee, seasonal drinks such as pumpkin latte, cold drinks, desserts and sandwiches, and cat treats can be bought to give to the cats. Children are admitted to the cat room from age 6, as some of the cats are shy or stressed. The cafe also holds workshops and sells gift certificates, and it is open every day.