Muzey Koshki
Vsevolozhsk, Leningrad Oblast
Muzey Koshki is Russia's first museum devoted to cats, in a house on Koltushskoye Highway in Vsevolozhsk, about 10 km east of Saint Petersburg on the historic Road of Life. Founded in 2008 at a local veterinary clinic, it holds more than 4,000 cat-related exhibits, from folk art and paintings to figurines, with sections on the Hermitage cats and on cats during the Siege of Leningrad. Several resident cats live in the museum and wander among visitors, who can stroke and play with them. A visit includes tea or coffee with sweets, and guided tours, which are booked in advance, cover the image of the cat in Russian folklore, art and literature. Children can draw postcards and comics, and there is a souvenir shop. The museum is the parent of the Respublika Koshek and Respublika Kotov cat cafes in Saint Petersburg.