The Cat Cafe Lviv has been open in Lviv, Ukraine, for over six years now and has come to mean a lot to everyone who’s involved with it.

“I have a small team of several close people who have been working with me for several years and have become my closest friends,” Serhii Oliinyk, owner of Cat Cafe Lviv, told The Dodo. “The cats have also gotten used to these people, who help to take care of them and who play with them when there are few guests, because our fluffy residents love people’s attention.”

The cafe is home to 20 cats who love to greet visitors and hang out with them while they enjoy a meal or just relax for a while. It’s been a safe haven for the people of Lviv, a place where they can come to forget the stresses of life and just play with cats who are always so happy to see them.

Many Ukrainians are currently fleeing the country in light of the Russian invasion, but not Oliinyk. He and his family are staying at the cafe.

“Our cats have been living in [the] cat cafe since the age of 4 months,” Oliinyk said. “They are like family. We realized that we would never leave our country, that this was the only place where we could see ourselves in the future.”

Despite the invasion and all of the uncertainty, the Cat Cafe Lviv has decided to stay open. They’ll continue to provide a safe space for people to stop by and say hi to the cats, which is something that the people of Ukraine may need now more than ever.

“We currently have fewer regular visitors, but there are people who have come from other cities and need hot food and positive emotions,” Oliinyk said. “There are three large rooms in our cafe, two of which are located in the basement, so in case of an air raid warning, there is a safe shelter for our guests and cats.”

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