- Place
- Šiauliai City Municipality
- Region
- Samogitia
- Type
- specialist museum of cat imagery with resident cats, an audio guide, and the Young Naturalists Centre's adjoining animal collection
- Address
- 18 Žuvininkų Street, Šiauliai
- Coordinates
- 55.92700, 23.33722
- Visit duration
- 1-1.5 hours for the museum and animal collection; about 45 minutes for the displays alone
- Best time
- a Tuesday-Friday morning when the galleries are quieter, or early Saturday for a family visit
Cat Museum, Šiauliai Cat Museum, V. Kavaliauskienė Cat Museum
Across three galleries, the cat is both an artistic motif and a design for everyday objects
The museum occupies part of Šiauliai Young Naturalists Centre at 18 Žuvininkų Street, coordinates 55.926998, 23.337219. Refurbished grey-walled galleries display objects in glass cases, tightly grouped picture hangs, and open shelving. This is not primarily a zoological account of cat breeds: its central subject is the human-made representation of a cat.
The operator's current description gives an approximate total of 5,000 objects from around the world. They include figures, paintings and prints, plates and mugs, toys, books, postcards, stamps, textiles, and photographs. Materials range from porcelain, earthenware, glass, and metal to amber, stone, wood, and paper, allowing one animal form to reveal strikingly different crafts and mass-production aesthetics.
It is easy to become absorbed in counting cats, so choose a few threads instead: national symbols, materials, or body poses. Egyptian silhouettes evoke a sacred animal, Japanese maneki-neko waving one paw refer to luck and commerce, and European cups and toys turn the cat into a sign of comfort and humour. Not every item is a unique fine-art work, but together they document the cat's spread through visual everyday culture.
A black wooden cat began the collection in 1962, and it became a museum in 1990
Founder Vanda Kavaliauskienė (1923-2011) was a pharmacist who worked for many years in and managed the Šiauliai region's pharmaceutical system. In her recollections, she dated the collection to 1962, when a colleague brought back a small black wooden cat from Poland. A second wooden souvenir soon arrived from Kaunas, and once friends and colleagues understood the theme, gifts began travelling from increasingly distant countries.
Part of the collection was already shown to guests at a 1983 conference of the pharmacists' scientific society in Šiauliai. After Kavaliauskienė retired, the Cat Museum formally opened in the then Young Naturalists Station on 17 May 1990. The date remains the focus of anniversary events in May and the city's Museum Night programme.
On 18 October 2010, the founder donated exactly 3,899 accumulated objects to Šiauliai City Municipality and the museum received her name. Today's approximate figure of 5,000 shows that the collection did not freeze after transfer: gifts and new accessions continued. Totals of 4,000, 5,000, or 6,000 printed in different years describe different moments and should not be added together.
The resident cats are living inhabitants, not a guaranteed petting attraction
The Young Naturalists Centre's history page currently says that six cats live at the museum. They move between rest areas and the exhibition, so a visitor may meet one beside a display case, but an individual animal can be asleep, hiding, or receiving care elsewhere. The long-running stories about a director called Perlas and other named cats do not guarantee that the same animals still live here.
The municipality's noise-prevention plan identifies a Miau Room inside the museum as a quiet space where visitors are asked to lower their voices and may interact with the cats present there. Quiet benefits both sides: it gives a visitor a slower encounter and protects the animal from constant stimulation. Stroke a cat only if it approaches and staff permit it, never lift it from the floor, block its retreat, or allow a child to chase it.
Do not bring a personal pet unless the operator has explicitly approved an exception, because cats live inside and other animals are housed nearby. Anyone with a serious cat allergy should account for allergens throughout an enclosed exhibition rather than only direct contact. Wash hands after touching an animal, particularly before eating.
The adjoining animal collection is an educational space, not another cabinet of cats
An animal collection operates in the same complex at 18 Žuvininkų Street. Recent education descriptions name a bearded dragon, iguana, Amur rat snake, Madagascar hissing cockroaches, tortoises, several kinds of parrot, and ornamental rabbits. The line-up changes with age, health, transfers, and enclosure updates, so ask the centre if seeing a particular species matters.
A 2024 activity evaluation records natural-material visual barriers, hides, digging substrates, and other enrichment intended to support natural behaviour in the terrariums. A reptile hidden from view is therefore not a failed display. Do not tap glass, shine a light into a refuge, touch an animal, or offer food without a staff member's instruction.
The operator publishes joint opening hours for the museum and animal collection, while its school offer includes both spaces in a €3 visit. The standard tariff heading, however, names only Cat Museum admission. Because the public wording does not define every individual ticket boundary, confirm at the desk whether the €5 entry includes the entire animal area that day and whether any part is temporarily closed.
Admission is €5, while a guide is charged separately for the group
On 13 July 2026, the official tariff listed adult admission at €5, or €4.50 with a virtual Šiauliai resident card, and €3 for a pupil, student, pensioner, or person in the specified disability category. Preschool children, certain visitors with greater disabilities, Lithuanian museum professionals, a teacher accompanying pupils, and an eligible carer entered free with evidence. Tariffs and legal terminology can change, so consult the live official page.
A guided visit cost €10 for an adult group of up to 50 or €5 for the listed pupil, student, pensioner, and concession groups. This is the group's guide charge, not admission for every participant. All groups must reserve in advance on +370 683 69844; no reservation is stated for an individual self-guided visitor.
The centre acquired 15 audio-guide units and prepared dedicated museum content in 2024. Its public visitor page does not state the available languages, rental fee, or guaranteed availability at every hour, so ask at the desk. With only 45 minutes, an audio guide or a thematic route suggested by staff helps prevent thousands of small objects from becoming visually exhausting.
The museum opens Tuesday-Saturday, while individual access requirements should be discussed by telephone
On 13 July 2026, published hours were 9 am-5 pm Tuesday-Friday and 9 am-4 pm Saturday, with the museum and animal collection closed on Sunday and Monday. These are not the administrative office hours, which the same website lists separately. Public holidays, events, or animal-care work may alter access, so consult the official contact page.
Bus 1 runs from the city centre to the Prūdelis stop, while bus 6 approaches from the southern districts; continue along Žuvininkų Street from there. The official website gives no detailed physical-access plan, door widths, lift, or accessible-toilet specification. A free-admission category is not proof that every route suits a wheelchair, so discuss mobility, sensory, or assistance-dog requirements by telephone before travelling.
Allow about 45 minutes for the displays alone or 1-1.5 hours with the resident cats and animal collection. The museum is near Lake Talkša, Salduvė Park, and the hillfort, making it easy to continue outdoors in dry weather. On 13 July 2026, the exact Cat Museum Google listing at 18 Žuvininkų Street had 855 reviews averaging 4.8 out of 5.
