A Cat Café in Turku, the Old Capital of Finland

Get to know about “Cat Café Mirri” which is located in Finland, Turku! It all started from a dream, a university project and an inspiration from a cat called Mirri. We interviewed Iris, the owner of the café.

How it all started and what inspired the cat café?

Iris recalls the very first beginning of the cat café:“It was a mix of many things. I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur, just did not know what kind. I thought of mixing cats and coffee during a class in the 9th grade. Turns out, I wasn't the first to think of that. Asia has had cat cafés for a long time. Then I thought, in 5 years... “

Iris forgot about it for a while and studied and worked as a shift manager for some time. During her first year of studying in TUAS (Turku University of Applied Sciences) she had a group project where they made a hypothetical prototype of a potential cat café.

“Then I realized that this is something I could actually pursue. I had also noticed how people’s vibes shift while they socialize when there are cats around. People become much more open and soft. I love it. So now I am building a warm community around cats and delicious drinks.” - Iris says.

How did you feel when establishing the café?

Iris:"I am not going to lie, for the most time, I have felt very lost. In school, or at a workplace you get used to people telling you what to do and how to do it. Then suddenly, I just started doing everything from scratch.”

Iris tells us that we luckily live in an era where information is readily available on the internet. In December 2024, while getting the keys to the business space where the cat café is now located, this made her decide to quit a well paying and stable job.

Iris: “Then it really hit me and for the most part I was very overwhelmed. But I had a lot of help and people around me that believed in me, so I just kept going. Because, if I didn't, someone else would be making money off of me and that didn't sit right with me. I followed my intuition. We have come a long way since we opened, learning new things every day. It never gets boring.”

Iris wasn't 100% prepared for what the café life was going to look like. It took her by surprise and she was extremely overwhelmed during the weekends. After working for almost four months straight without any rest, Iris hired a few people to help. Looking back at it, she says: “What really helped me was to remember that this was just a part of the whole process and it was not going to be like that forever."

"I think starting a business is something that teaches you a lot about yourself. Constant adjusting, growing, solving. It is hard but so worth it. A lot of self reflection. The business feels like a baby I made from love and dedication.” - Iris recalls.

Cats! Cat names and cat stories!

It all started with three cats in the café. Female elderly cat Mirri was there with Iris for years already. She naturally became the inspiration for the whole business. Others came along when the time was right. Now there are four cats all together and Mirri is retired.

Iris: “Mirri and Tigr were named by my mom and they started as our family cats. Mirri is a synonym for "cat" in Finnish and Tigr means "tiger" in Russian (he looks like one). I call Tigr sometimes "Tiigu" or "Tikru", whatever fits the mood.”

Mirri was found when Iris rented a stable and no-one was caring for her so she started to. She was extremely shy at first but she has had a long journey. She learned café life surprisingly quickly.

According to Iris: “When Mirri and Tigr started to have issues together, I decided that it is best for everyone that she retires. She has done more than enough and now enjoys princess treatment at home with me.”

Iris continues: “I took Keiju as a kitten, to raise him to fit the café lifestyle. Keiju means "fairy" in Finnish. I wanted to give him a unique name to describe his energy and I think it fits well.”

"Mirri doesn't respond well to other adult cats, so taking a kitten was the only way to get them to get along. Keiju and Mirri eventually got along very well. Keiju is really gentle and sweet. And long! He looks like a panther. And he really is at home here. He is so good at taking his space when he feels overwhelmed. He knows his limits and leaves, when something is too much. He loves hunting wasps during summer. Or befriending them, he hasn't ever gotten stung."

"Ninja and Lumilill are newcomers. They are also from a breeder as kittens, to raise to this environment. It has shown to be the safest way and least stressful for the cats themselves. Ninja is a charming dude and his name means, well, a ninja. And I think it describes him perfectly. Lumilill means "snowflower" in Estonian. She is light, sweet, soft and pretty. They have really enjoyed it here. They are more cuddlers than anyone else here. Lumilill seems to like men with beards. These two have also most definitely been a handful."

Favorite stories and favorite activities!

There are a lot of things that happen every day in the cat café. For example, the young ones (Keiju, Ninja, Lumilill) once had a certain affection with a big trashbag (with holiday decorations). Keiju was in it and Ninja was hitting it from the outside. Lumilill was also getting in the fun. Keiju came out of the bag and was covered with bits from the decorations.

Keiju loves hiding in plain sight against black backgrounds. He likes hanging out on the same couch with people. He also has recently learned a few "naughty" behaviours but is confused when it's not allowed. He has been a model cat for the longest time, but is now in his bad boy era.

Tigr loves stealing peoples food, which is obviously not allowed so Iris has new extra precautions. He does a marvelous jumping trick - when he jumps, he looks like moving in slow motion. He loves food and is very food motivated, so he is eager to do tricks.

Ninja looks after Tigr a lot, though he is smarter and faster. He loves cuddling and playing. Whereas Tigr goes and does forbidden things, Ninja will just follow. Recently, Ninja has started to learn the same jumping trick as Tigr.

Lumill the most unproblematic one, enjoys playing. Lumill doesn't really steal food and is gifted with an extremely soft fur. Sometimes she climbs up the metal nets, which hangs in the café to keep the cats out of the kitchen.

If you want to know more kitties about the kitties in the café, you are welcome to follow them on @kissakahvila.mirri.

And if you are visiting Turku, please be sure to pay a visit to the “Cat Café Mirri” or in Finnish “Kissakahvila Mirri”!