Cat Cafe in Ukraine Remains Open During War To Care For Its 20 Residents

• A cat cafe in Ukraine remains open amidst the war to care for its residents.
• The owner has decided to stay in the country to provide a haven for the cats, as well as people looking for a place where they can forget their worries.
• The cat cafe is currently home to 20 cats.

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Despite many Ukrainians fleeing their country due to the Russian invasion, Serhii Oliinyk and his family decided to stay in Ukraine to care for their cats. 

The Cat Cafe Lviv, located in Lviv, Ukraine, has been operating for over six years now.

“I have a small team of several close people who have been working with me for several years and have become my closest friends,” Oliinyk 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.”

The cafe houses 20 cats who enjoy greeting guests and hanging out with them while they eat or simply unwind. It’s become a haven for Lviv residents, a place where they can forget about their worries for a while and have fun with the cats who are always delighted to see them.

On deciding not to leave their country, Oliinyk explains their cats have been living in the cafe since they were 4 months old.

“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,” he said.

Despite the unrest in Ukraine, the Cat Cafe Lviv has chosen to remain open and provide a safe environment for people who want to drop by and say hello to the cats, something that the Ukrainian people may need these days more than ever.

Oliinyk said they have fewer regular visitors now, but there are people from other cities who come for hot food and positivity.

“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 all the cats at the Cat Cafe Lviv as part of his family, so they’ve decided to stay together, no matter what.

Source: The Dodo