Murchello

Murom, Vladimir Oblast · 0.2 mi / 0.3 km

Doroga Domoy ("The Way Home") is a rescue zoo cafe on Kommunisticheskaya Ulitsa in central Murom, run by the local animal welfare charity of the same name. Cats are the largest group of residents, alongside dogs, rabbits, squirrels and a raccoon, and the charity has sheltered more than a hundred homeless animals. Visitors can stroke and play with the cats, walk the dogs, drink tea or coffee with sweets, play from a collection of more than 70 board games or use an Xbox. Entry is by donation rather than a fixed fee, as the cafe is not run as a commercial venue. Any of the animals can be adopted, and the charity also cares for disabled cats that need long-term support. The cafe is open every day and hosts community events for children and adults.

• Adoptable cats

Gus Khrustalny, Vladimir Oblast · 53 mi / 85 km

Kotiki i Kofe ("Cats and Coffee") is a cat cafe on the ground floor of a building in the Mikrorayon district of Gus-Khrustalny. Opened in July 2025 by local volunteers, it is the town's first cat cafe and was set up to tackle the problem of homeless cats. Rescued cats live in the cafe, where visitors can drink coffee, play with them and watch how they behave, and anyone who finds a cat they want to adopt is helped with the paperwork by the volunteers. The cafe shares before-and-after stories of cats it has nursed back to health. Opening hours vary through the week, with shorter afternoon hours on Thursdays and Fridays and at weekends.

• Adoptable cats

Kovrov, Vladimir Oblast · 61 mi / 99 km

Kotomesto is a volunteer-run cat anticafe on Prospekt Lenina in Kovrov, set up by the founder of the local mutual-aid community Dobry Kovrov to find homes for street cats. About 14 cats live there at a time; they come from local volunteers and are examined, vaccinated, sterilised and treated before joining the room, and cats that settle well are offered for adoption. Visitors pay for their time, with lower prices on weekdays than at weekends and a choice of paying by the hour or by the minute. The cafe depends on visits and donations, and it holds a weekly donation day. It opens in the late afternoon on weekdays, from midday at weekends and is closed on Mondays. The entrance has a ramp.

• Adoptable cats

Nizhny Novgorod · 91 mi / 146 km

Murrrchim is a cat and dog cafe in the historic centre of Nizhny Novgorod, in the basement at the corner of Ilyinskaya and Malaya Pokrovskaya streets, about a ten-minute walk from Gorkovskaya metro station. It calls itself a kotopesokafe, a cafe for cats and dogs, and is run in the manner of an open shelter: about a hundred cats of many colours and characters live there together with a few elderly dogs. Visitors pay for their time and are offered tea or coffee with biscuits, and board games are available. Staff explain the rules on arrival and talk about the individual animals; sleeping cats are not to be disturbed and cats should not be picked up. Souvenirs with cat motifs are sold at the counter. The cafe is open every day.

Nizhny Novgorod · 92 mi / 147 km

Murzik is a cat anticafe on Vaneyeva Street in central Nizhny Novgorod, in the basement of number 1A, about 15 minutes on foot from Gorkovskaya metro station. Opened in March 2016, it was the first cat cafe in the city. About twenty cats rescued by a local animal shelter live there, and all of them can be adopted after an application to the shelter. Visitors pay for their time; there is no food menu, but tea, coffee and sweets are included, along with board games, a retro Dendy console, puzzles and a small library. Slippers or disposable socks are provided at the entrance and guests wash their hands before meeting the cats. The cafe hosts acrylic painting workshops on Thursday evenings, sells cat souvenirs and postcards, and can be booked for birthday parties. It is open every day.

• Adoptable cats

Saransk, Mordovia · 156 mi / 252 km

Murrdovia is a cat space on Vasenko Street in Saransk, next to the Biokhimik stop, run by Druzhba Naveki, a local animal shelter. It is the only place in the city where the public can spend time with cats. All of the resident cats are rescues looking for homes, and visitors can apply to adopt one; the space regularly shares news of cats that have been rehomed. A visit is paid as a flat entry fee that goes to the shelter, and tea and coffee are available in a small kitchen, and there are board games and hanging swing chairs to sit in among the cats. The space also works as a coworking spot and hosts group workshops for up to ten people and private bookings such as birthdays. It moved to larger premises in spring 2026 and is open Wednesday to Sunday.

• Adoptable cats