The Moscow Cat Museum

The Moscow Cat Museum was opened in Moscow in March 1993. This art-educational museum was organized by a group of cat artists and fans, as well as the Inter Gallery of Contemporary Art. The first exhibition of the Cat’s Eye project was shown to the public from May-June 1992 at the Mars Gallery in Moscow.

The museum’s motto is “We welcome everyone who loves cats or would like to love them!” The collection founder is Andrei Abramov. Since 2004, the private collection of small forms of Inna Mancos has been included in the main museum collection. Donators and cat lovers also take part in the collection.

The Moscow Cat Museum collection contains everything related to cats and their role in human life on the planet Earth. The basis of the collection is artistic: painting, graphics, sculpture, ceramics, batik, tapestry, costumes, dolls, installations, art objects, collages showing the cat through the eyes of artists and creative people, as well as books, photographs, postcards, films, cartoons, toys, and other things and objects, one way or another connected with cats.

The main idea of the museum is that works of art can reveal many interesting properties of a cat, reveal some cat riddles and secrets to an outside observer, and let them feel what fans call “cat magic”. The versatile and interesting collection of the cat museum is a magic crystal, each facet of which brings us closer to understanding the amazing and mysterious creature that lives in our homes as a beloved family member and dear friend.

The main exhibition programs are Cat’s Eye, Women and Cats, Magic of Cats, Amazing World of Cats, Cats From Around the World, Cat Portraits, Cat and Her Secrets. A special part of the collection is the Women and Cats exhibition program, showing the essence of the mysterious relationship between women and cats, revealing the origins of their similarities and cravings for each other. Special projects of the Moscow Cat Museum are the Children’s Cat Drawing annual contest, the Woman and Cat beauty contest, and the Traveling Cat Museum art movement, a show of various thematic exhibitions devoted to cats, in a tour format, with a visit to several cities or countries on the prepared route.

The museum’s collection was shown to the public in many countries of the world: exhibitions were held in Italy, the Netherlands, France, Great Britain, Tunisia, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, Austria, etc.

The Moscow Cat Museum regularly takes part in the World FIFe Cat Federation shows held every year in one of the European countries. Since 1996, the museum has been a regular participant in the world’s largest cat shows: the English national cat show (National Cat Show, London, Olympia).

Since 2001, the weekly television program The Amazing World of Cats, created on the museum’s materials, has been broadcast on various television channels. In an informative and entertaining way, it talks about the life of cats and all aspects of the relationship between humans and cats.

In 2004, the Moscow Cat Museum, together with the editors of the newspaper and the Cat and Dog magazine, initiated a new holiday dedicated to cats, the World Cat Day, which is currently celebrated on March 1, not only in Russia but also in other countries.

From the review book of the Moscow Cat Museum: “Cats are a mystery, help us reveal it!”