Punahilkan Kissakahvila

Vyborg, Leningrad Oblast · 65 mi / 104 km

HappyCat ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌⁠is a cat time-cafe in a lower-ground-floor space on Mikhaila Vasilyeva Street in Vyborg, the only cat cafe in the town. It is run by its owners as a home for rescued cats with difficult pasts, including elderly cats and cats with old injuries, and the 40 to 50 residents are vaccinated and looked after while they wait for new families. Visitors pay for their time, and the money goes towards the cats' upkeep; tea and biscuits are included. The staff tell guests the story of each cat and explain how to handle them. There are board games and a games console, and visitors can bring food for the cats or buy from the cafe's wish list. The cafe is open from Tuesday to Sunday.

• Adoptable cats

Helsinki, Uusimaa · 74 mi / 120 km

Kissakahvila ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​​​‌​⁠Helkatti is a cat café on Fredrikinkatu in Kamppi, central Helsinki, about 150 metres south of the Kamppi shopping area. It opened in 2015 as Kissakahvila Helsinki, the city's first cat café, and took the name Helkatti in 2020. More than ten resident cats live here, including two polydactyl brothers and two half-Bengals, together with four rabbits. Visitors pay a per-person entrance fee for a 90-minute visit, and online booking is recommended, particularly at weekends and during school holidays. Children must be accompanied by an adult, and from late afternoon on Fridays the café is for adults only. The kitchen bakes its own cakes and also serves savoury dishes, coffee, wine and beer. The café holds adult evenings and cat quizzes, can be hired for private parties, and offers overnight stays among the cats.

• Booking recommended

Hameenlinna, Kanta Hame · 82 mi / 131 km

Kissakoti ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​⁠Kattila is a shelter for homeless and stray cats on Puusepänkatu, close to the centre of Hämeenlinna. Founded in 1995 and run by volunteers of the Hämeenlinnan Kissojen Ystävät association, it houses cats waiting for new homes as well as long-term residents that live out their days there. The shelter is open every afternoon, and anyone is welcome to drop in to see and play with the cats in their rooms; a note by each room says who lives there and whether the cat enjoys being petted. Donations of cat supplies can be brought during opening hours. Adoption meetings are arranged separately by email. The shelter holds sales and events during the year, such as an open evening on the Night of the Arts. This is a rescue shelter rather than a café.

• Adoptable cats

Tallinn, Harjumaa · 112 mi / 181 km

Paws ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​⁠For A Moment is a cat café and co-working space on Roseni street in Tallinn's Rotermann Quarter, between the Old Town and the passenger port. Its lounge is home to about a dozen resident cats, among them several Maine Coons, with climbing places, hideaways and quiet corners where the cats can withdraw. Visits are booked online as timed sessions and paid by the hour, and coffee, tea and pastries are served. Guests sanitise their hands on arrival, let the cats come to them, do not pick them up or disturb sleeping cats, and keep noise low; a separate co-working area suits laptop work. The café holds regular evening events such as cat yoga, board game and movie nights, drawing contests and crochet sessions. A Cat Tinder page on its website lists rescue cats from partner shelters that are looking for homes. It is open daily.

• Booking required

Tallinn, Harjumaa · 113 mi / 181 km

Nurri ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌⁠Kassikohvik is a cat café on Tartu maantee in central Tallinn, a short walk from the Stockmann department store and the Old Town. Opened in October 2014 as Estonia's first cat café, it is home to about a dozen cats, most of them from the Viljandi animal shelter, and more than 120 of its cats have since found homes through the café. The kitchen serves soups, pasta, salads, pancakes, cakes, coffee and smoothies, and guests can order treats for the cats. A visitor fee for each adult goes towards the cats' care, with reduced rates for students and pensioners and free entry for children. House rules ask guests not to wake sleeping cats, carry them around or let them eat from plates. Booking a table is recommended, and the café runs occasional board game evenings, cat yoga and pancake buffets. It is open Thursday to Sunday.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Tampere, Pirkanmaa · 116 mi / 187 km

Kissakahvila ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​⁠Purnauskis is a cat café in Tammela, Tampere, at Aaltosenkatu 31-33, within walking distance of Tampere railway station and the city centre. Opened in October 2014, it is described as Finland's first cat café. More than a dozen resident cats live in the café, most of them Finnish domestic cats, and two of them are polydactyl. Visitors pay a per-person entrance fee that goes towards the cats' care, and booking a visiting time online is recommended, especially at weekends, as the café can get busy. The kitchen serves coffee, cakes and savoury dishes, and the menu includes Kopi Luwak civet coffee. Cats are petted on their own terms. The café can be booked for private parties, and one or two guests at a time can book an overnight stay with the cats. It is open Tuesday to Saturday.

• Booking recommended