Dana from Amsterdam
Kattenkabinet Amsterdam
The cat museum
In the heart of Amsterdam, on beautiful Herengracht, there is one of the city’s quirkiest museums: De KattenKabinet (“The Cat Cabinet”). Housed in a charming old canal house, it is entirely dedicated to the role of cats in art and culture. Calling it a “museum” feels a bit formal, as it’s more like a private art collection that is open to the public.
The collection is displayed in a seventeenth-century style apartment, beautifully decorated with antique furnishings. Inside, you’ll find an impressive mix of posters, paintings, sculptures and objects, all with cats as the stars. Famous names appear here too: Picasso, Rembrandt, Toulouse-Lautrec, Steinlen, Corneille, Leonor Fini and more.
The resident cats are your guides, though they may or may not be on duty (depending on nap times). If you want to visit with a small group and have a guided tour, that’s possible as well, but with a human guide this time.
De KattenKabinet was founded by Bob Meijer in memory of his beloved tomcat, John Pierpont Morgan, who received extravagant birthday gifts like portraits, statues and even a cat-themed banknote. That playful mix of humour and reverence runs through the entire collection. Cat lover or not, this little museum is a delight, and the shop is perfect for picking up a poster, album or T-shirt for yourself or your favourite cat person.
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