Seraphima, one of the famous Hermitage mouser cats, on November 30, 2021, arrived at a new place of service at the Peter and Paul Fortress, which is part of the State Museum of the History of St Petersburg.

Seraphima the cat received a warm welcome in an official ceremony, reported the press service of the State Museum of the History of Saint Petersburg. Her new responsibilities include the protection of the property of the SS Peter and Paul Cathedral against rodents.

Her predecessor, Capitolina, remained at the position for more than twenty years, and passed away in October, 2021.

Seraphima got first-rate credentials from her previous employer. According to the press-service of the State Hermitage Museum, “Seraphima has an excellent, easy-going character, and as Empress Elizabeth so elegantly put it back in the 18th century, such a cat is 'suited to catching mice.'” Her qualification is confirmed by the “Hermitage Cat Certificate”.

The State Hermitage Museum keeps a team of some 50 mousers. The Hermitage Cat Service was founded by the Russian Tsar, Peter the First. He gave an order to bring in cats, to protect the palace and its precious art collection from mice. In 1995, according to the Director of the State Hermitage Museum, Mikhail Piotrovsky, “Hermitage cats are an inseparable part of the life of the museum.”