The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, is second-largest art museum in the world after the Louvre, France, both of which are visited by millions of people (annual). Hermitage holds not only artistic treasures but also a collection of living history well.
The Hermitage was built as part of the royal Russian family's Winter Palace. Empress Elizabeth had cats brought in (rid) the several palace buildings of mice. The cats did their job well and (give) homes in the basements of the buildings and the title of Hermitage cats.
The 74 Hermitage cats live at the museum they now lead an extremely (comfort) life. A press secretary is in charge of the cats, with three full-time caretakers (attend) to their every need. There are even kitchens for preparing meals for the cats because every cat has its own (prefer). This may all seem over the top, but Russian and foreign (visit) alike love seeing the Hermitage cats while admiring some of the world's greatest artistic treasures.
