Even Throughout The War The Ukrainian Cat Cafe Remains Open To Care For Its 20 Residents

The Cat Cafe Lviv has been operational for almost six years in Lviv, Ukraine, and has grown to mean a lot to everyone involved.

Serhii Oliinyk, owner of Cat Cafe Lviv, told The Dodo, “I have a small team of very close people who have been working with me for several years and have become my closest friends.” “Our fluffy inhabitants appreciate people’s attention, so these folks have become accustomed to taking care of them and playing with them when there are few visitors.”

The café is home to 20 cats that enjoy greeting tourists and hanging out with them as they eat or simply rest. It’s become a safe haven for Lviv residents, a place where they can come to forget about their worries and simply play with cats who are always delighted to see them.

Many Ukrainians are fleeing the nation as a result of the Russian invasion, but Oliinyk is not one of them. He is staying at the cafe with his family.

“Since the age of four months, our cats have been living in [the] cat café,” Oliinyk said. “They’re like family to me.” We concluded we’d never leave our nation, that it was the only place we could envision ourselves in the future.”

caption id=”attachment_36560″ align=”alignnone” width=”1440″] Credit: CAT CAFE LVIV[/caption]

The Cat Cafe Lviv has opted to remain open despite the invasion and the uncertainty. They’ll keep providing a safe haven for people to come by and say hello to the kitties, something the people of Ukraine may require now more than ever.

“We have fewer regular customers these days,” Oliinyk said, “but there are those who have traveled from distant places and require hot meals and happy sentiments.” “Our café has three huge rooms, two of which are located in the basement, so in the event of an air raid alert, our visitors and kitties will be safe.”

The cats at the Cat Cafe Lviv are a part of Oliinyk’s family, so they’re staying together, no matter what.