Kotor Cats Museum

About

The Cats Museum of Kotor is one of the Adriatic’s most charming curiosities, celebrating the town’s long and affectionate relationship with its feline residents. Kotor’s cats have roamed the Old Town for centuries, originally welcomed by sailors who valued them as protectors of ships and granaries. This maritime connection is one of the museum’s most interesting facts: many early postcards and documents show cats lounging on Venetian docks or accompanying crews on long voyages. Inside, visitors find an eclectic and surprisingly rich collection. The museum displays vintage postcards, stamps, and illustrations from across Europe and Asia, all featuring cats in art, folklore, and daily life. A highlight is the section dedicated to wartime correspondence, where cats appear as mascots on military letters and propaganda posters. Another engaging corner showcases humorous 19th‑century caricatures portraying cats as aristocrats, scholars, and musicians. The museum also preserves small artifacts donated by travelers—porcelain figurines, embroidered textiles, and miniature sculptures that reveal how different cultures depict cats. Informational panels explain Kotor’s tradition of feeding and caring for stray cats, a practice that continues today with community-supported food stations around the Old Town.

Kotor Montenegro

Location

The Kotor Cats Museum sits in a quiet corner of the Old Town on Trg Gospa od Anđela, also known as Cinema Square, at Stari Grad 371. It occupies part of the old Poor Clares Monastery of Our Lady of the Angels, right beside the Church of Saint Michael, so you find it while wandering the stone lanes inside the medieval walls. Just a short stroll away is the Maritime Museum in the Baroque Grgurina Palace, and a few minutes further brings you to St Tryphon’s Cathedral with its twin towers on the main square. The Sea Gate opens onto the Square of Arms, where the Clock Tower stands, and the surrounding streets hide other noble palaces and small churches. Climb the long path up the city walls and you reach the ruins of San Giovanni Fortress high above the bay, with wide views over the water and the terracotta roofs below. The museum itself is small and charming, filled with vintage cat-themed prints, postcards and curios, and the modest entrance fee helps care for Kotor’s many street cats that roam the Old Town. It fits easily into a relaxed walk through the historic centre or a longer visit that includes the walls and the nearby waterfront.