The Cat Cabinet (KattenKabinet): Entry Ticket

Tucked away on the first floor of a canal house on the Herengracht, The Cat Cabinet is one of Amsterdam's more unusual museums. It began as the private collection of Bob Meijer, dedicated to his ginger cat John Piermont Morgan, and has grown into a set of richly styled rooms filled with cat-themed paintings, posters and paraphernalia set against vintage sofas, heavy curtains and original 17th and 18th-century woodwork.

What makes it worth the detour is the art itself: works by Picasso, Rembrandt, Toulouse-Lautrec, Theophile Alexandre Steinlen and Henriette Ronner Knip hang throughout the house, all connected by the same feline thread. Beyond the paintings, exhibits explore the history of cats and their role across different cultures, and there may be live resident cats wandering the rooms, though as they're free to roam outside too, they don't always stick around for visitors.

A visit is largely self-directed, moving from room to room at your own pace through this compact canal house museum. Before leaving, the gift shop stocks cat-themed books, prints and souvenirs, a fitting last stop for anyone who's fallen for the museum's slightly eccentric charm.

Your visit begins on the first floor of a historic canal house on the Herengracht, where the museum's rooms open up one after another, each styled with period woodwork, vintage furniture and cat-themed art on nearly every wall. You'll move through the collection at your own pace, taking in paintings, posters and sculptures from artists like Picasso and Rembrandt alongside displays on the history and cultural role of cats around the world.

Along the way, keep an eye out for the resident cats, who may or may not be lounging indoors depending on the day. The compact layout means the whole visit generally takes under an hour, ending at the gift shop where cat-themed books, prints and trinkets make for a fitting souvenir of one of Amsterdam's quirkier museums.