Since 2016, The Cat Cafe Lviv in Lviv, Ukraine has been open. It has become a symbol of Ukrainian culture and is a great place to be.
“I have a small team of several close people who have been working with me for several years and have become my closest friends,” Serhii Oliinyk, owner of Cat Cafe Lviv, told The Dodo. “The cats have also gotten used to these people, who help to take care of them and who play with them when there are few guests because our fluffy residents love people’s attention.”
There are 20 cats living in the cafe who love to meet visitors, play with them and have a good time while they eat or relax. The cafe has been a refuge for Lvivans, a place they can go to forget all their worries and play with the cats who are always so happy seeing them.
Many Ukrainians flee the country due to the Russian invasion. But Oliinyk is not one of them. His family is staying at the cafe with him.
“Our cats have been living in [the] cat cafe since the age of 4 months,” Oliinyk said. “They are like family. We realized that we would never leave our country, that this was the only place where we could see ourselves in the future.”
The Cat Cafe Lviv will remain open despite the invasion and uncertainty. The Cat Cafe Lviv will continue to be open for visitors to come and visit the cats. This is something the Ukrainian people may require more than ever.
“We currently have fewer regular visitors, but there are people who have come from other cities and need hot food and positive emotions,” Oliinyk said. “There are three large rooms in our cafe, two of which are located in the basement, so in case of an air raid warning, there is a safe shelter for our guests and cats.”
Oliinyk considers the cats at Cat Cafe Lviv a family, so they will continue to be together no matter what.
[h/t]: The Dodo
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