More than 50 cats guard one of the world’s most prestigious museums

The Hermitage Museum, located in St. Petersburg, is undeniably Russia's most famous and largest museum. Moreover, it holds a prominent place among the world's leading museums, alongside the Tate Gallery in London and the Louvre in Paris. It welcomes 2-3 million visitors annually. Well, this museum is guarded by cats!

The Hermitage cats live in the basement of the museum, and during the summer, they can also occupy the embankment and the space in front of the Hermitage. In the past, they even had access to the galleries.

They are known like the exhibited paintings

Irina Popovics, the head of the cat department, stated that the cats are “as famous as the [3 million-piece] collection.” In 2010, Maria Khaltunen, the head of the museum’s cat program, declared that in that year, 60 cats guarded the exhibited paintings, although the exact number is not well-known. Among the staff, there is an internal joke about this, saying that “officially the museum could only have 50 cats.”

Based on 2013 data, the number of cats had already reached 74, even though they are all spayed or neutered. We will also address how this is possible a bit later. Unlike their previous harsh conditions, the cats now enjoy all earthly pleasures. The food prepared for them is made in a separate kitchen, taking into account the unique needs of each cat. And yes, there is even a small hospital for emergencies, along with their own washing machine. Of course, they don’t do the washng themselves.

In the cat’s house, they also made sure that antisocial individuals find peace. In this secluded space, cats who require less interaction with their counterparts can rest in sweet solitude.

Since 2013, the splendid conditions for the cats have been maintained with the help of donations from an animal welfare charity and a company that manufactures and distributes pet food. If our information is correct, in 2020, a small portion of a Frenchman’s inheritance was left to these cats. At that time, they stated that they would use the generous donation for renovating the basement.

The Hermitage cats revive an ancient tradition

Cats nesting in the Hermitage have been present in the museum since the 18th century. The building was originally named the Winter Palace, and the cats were installed there in 1745 at the request Elizabeth of Russia to control the rodent population. Moreover, these cats are rumored to be quite special! James Rodgers, a BBC journalist, explained that according to belief, the cats come from Kazan in Tatarstan, known for generously endowing the world with exceptionally good mousers. Unfortunately, World War II also struck the Hermitage cats, and presumably, they all perished. However, the second generation’s resettlement did not take long, as the horrors of war did not affect the rats.

In the late 1990s, Maria Khaltunen initiated the program to help the diligent cats who were previously struggling in rather poor conditions. Since 2007, the museum has also been adopting homeless cats. Since 2015, they have been capitalizing on the millions of tourists visiting by creating a website. Through this website, it is possible to adopt Hermitage cats.