The Hermitage cats (Russian: Эрмитажные коты) are a group of cats residing in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The museum has a press secretary dedicated to the cats, and three people act as caretakers. The cats live in the museum's basement, and they also appear on the embankment and on the square during the summer. In previous eras they roamed throughout the museum galleries. Irina Popovets, who became the head of the cat department, stated that the cats were "as well-known as our collections."