Cats have been hanging out with us humans for centuries by providing lots of love, companionship, and a couple of scratches so it’s only fair that many museums all over the world are dedicated to our feline friends.
If you’re an avid cat lover and passionate about art – you could visit some of the cat-themed museums with feline art and kitty artifacts instead of just scrolling through the adorable images and videos of cats on social media. We’ve compiled a list of cat museums from all over the world that you should visit!
KattenKabinet – Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Started in 1990, The KattenKabinet (‘Cat Cabinet’ in Dutch) is an art museum in Amsterdam that examines the role that cats play in art as well as culture and is devoted to works depicting them. It is housed in a restored 15th-century home on Amsterdam’s scenic Herengracht canal by the founder/homeowner Bob Meijer.
Meijer decided to launch KattenKabinet in honor of his beloved deceased cat, John Pierpont Morgan (1966-1983), who he was close to and there is even a section devoted to John!
KattenKabinet CHRIS ON FLICKR [CREATIVE COMMONS]
KattenKabinet’s collections include original works by some of the greatest artists like Pablo Picasso, Rembrandt, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Corneille, Sal Meijer, Théophile Steinlen, and Jože Ciuha, among others—all of which depict cats. In addition to this, the museum’s collection also features depictions of cats in films, posters, photography, sculptures, and music that are all surrounded by the in-house felines.
Visit the KattenKabinet website: HERE
The Cat Museum of Lloret De Mar – Spain
The Cat Museum of Lloret De Mar is set across three floors and houses over 10,000 cat-related pieces such as toys, clocks, jewelry, tableware, and paintings.
Inside the Cat Museum of Lloret De Mar. Tripadvisor
The private collection also includes pieces made from all kinds of materials such as porcelain, ivory, and glass as well as famous works by Swarovski, Lalique, and Faberge. The collection in the museum belongs to Russian millionaires Novoselova and Alexandr Gvozdev.
Kotor Cats Museum – Kotor, Montenegro
Founded in 2013, the Kotor Cat Museum was established after Countess Francesca di Montereale Mantica donated a large collection of period images and now it even occasionally organizes exhibitions in different countries around Europe.
The museum hosts a vastly comprehensive collection, pictures of cats in human-like positions (or imitating humans) reading books or swimming, cat-related paintings, engravings, books, coins, postcards, advertisement fliers, and posters, etc.
Cat Memorabilia ANNECAYER [ATLAS OBSCURA USER]
It also showcases medals from international cat shows, portraits of people with their beloved pet cats and even opens its doors to exhibitions of contemporary artists upon request. The Kotor Cat Museum also has live cat curators and a certain percentage of all the income earned from entrance fees (in addition to donations) is used for caring for and feeding street cats in Kotor.
Visit the Kotor Cat Museum’s website: HERE
Cat Museum of San Francisco – California, United States
Learn everything you ever wanted to know about your feline friends at the Cat Museum of San Francisco. Established in 2010, the museum has held random exhibits in public places in San Francisco and posts frequently about famous cat lovers on their Facebook page.
Visit the Cat Museum of San Francisco’s website: HERE
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Katzinett ® – Katzenmuseum Ludwigshafen – Germany
The Katzinett ® – Katzenmuseum Ludwigshafen Museum has an impressive collection of around 8,000 cat-related items and they even have a cat-shaped hot water bottle from the 1800s as well as various feline sculptures and fine art. Their collection includes items that span all the way back to Ancient Egypt to the modern day.
The Lucky Cat Museum – Cincinnati, Ohio (United States)
Housed in the Essex Studios in Cincinnati, Ohio – The Lucky Cat Museum is for people who are fans of both cats and the Asian culture. It is a small art space that holds over 1000 models of the Japanese Maneki Neko, the “beckoning cat” and an extra dose of good fortune. Operated by Micha Robertson, the museum displays models with raised paws that are often seen in Asian restaurants as a symbol of luck and prosperity.
The Lucky Cat Museum is Micha Robertson’s personal collection of more than 1000 Lucky Cats. It’s open
from 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and during Essex Studios Art Walks via Cincinnati.com The Enquirer/Meg Vode
Robertson, who is the owner of The Lucky Cat Museum, began collecting Maneki Neko of all shapes, sizes, and designs more than a decade ago and eventually amassed so many that she decided to launch a tiny museum dedicated to them. Admission to the museum is free but donations are enormously appreciated and encouraged.
Visit the Lucky Cat Museum’s website: HERE
Cat Museum – Kuching, Malaysia
Malaysia’s Cat Museum in Kuching is the first of its kind on the planet and contains over 4000 cat-related artworks – a range of exhibits, photos, feline art, and cat souvenirs spread over four galleries covering a total area ofhttps://360tour.asia/kuching-cat-museum-the-worlds-first-and-largest-cat-museum/ 1,035 sq meters (11140.65 sq feet). It also has an Egyptian mummified cat. The museum is located in Kuching City North City Hall and has the word ‘Cat’ in its name itself (‘Kuching’ is ‘Cat’ in Malay).
The Cat Statue made out of Seashells via 360tour.asia
Kuching is home to an impressive cat museum that traces its history and examines different cultural depictions of felines from around the globe.
Kuching is a cat-friendly city that is filled with large feline statues, and guests at the 2017 ASEAN Film Festival and Awards, held in the city helped set a Guinness record for the largest gathering of people dressed as cats as an impressive 440 people turned up in full feline attire and made the event a purr-fect success (even though a minimum of 250 people were required to set the record).
The American Museum of House Cats – North Carolina, USA
Founded by Harold Sims, The American Museum of House Cats is a museum dedicated to the history of cats in an antique mall in Sylva. Sims, who has been devoting his retirement years to cats, built a no-kill shelter and hopes that the money the museum garners will help support the shelter.
Inside The American Museum of House Cats. Tripadvisor
The museum has been in the making for thirty years. The American Museum of House Cats holds an assortment of 10,000 items of feline arts and crafts, 3D art, collectibles, and antiques.
Find The American Museum of House Cats on Facebook: HERE
Moscow Cat Museum – Moscow, Russia
This museum was created in 1993 by the founder Andrey Lvovich Abramov. The Moscow Cat Museum was established to present a collection (of over 1500 pieces) of various types of artworks that were all related to cats that include paintings, sculptures, installations, graphics, and tapestry.
The Cat Museum – Minsk, Belarus
This cat museum is situated in the capital of Belarus, Minsk and holds a wide range of works such as painting, sculpture, photography, and decorative arts. Though not exactly a museum, it functions as a museum as well as an adoption center and has a corner dedicated exclusively to children’s drawings of cats.
Cat Museum in Minsk, Belarus via Tripadvisor
There is an admission fee that you must pay to enter, it is worth it as it goes to a good cause and you can enjoy cat-themed books and games, make cat art, and sip (free) coffee or tea in a cat-themed café—all while petting members of the museum’s cat “staff.”
The volunteers at the museum regularly pick up stray cats from the streets to have them examined and treated by vets first (you can meet them at the museum!) and later they are made available for adoption in case anyone would love to take them home.
These are just ten cat museums around the world but you may have visited one not mentioned in the listicle. Do let us know your favorite in the comments below!
