June 18, 2026

The Museum Cat Who Became a World Cup Oracle

Achilles and his three careers.

Most cats are content with one career, but Achilles managed three.

He started as a museum mouser in the basement of the Hermitage, became one of the world's most famous soccer predictors, and then retired into therapy work.

Achilles was born on the streets of St. Petersburg around 2015 before arriving at the Hermitage Museum, one of the world's largest art museums.

The museum's cats have a history that dates back to the 18th century, when Empress Elizabeth ordered cats to be brought to the Winter Palace to protect the building from mice. Nearly three centuries later, dozens of cats still live in the museum basement, where they patrol the cellars, guard the collections, and enjoy a level of job security most humans can only dream of.

Achilles was one of them.

He was a blue-eyed white cat with a calm temperament and one unusual characteristic: he was deaf. And this would later become part of his professional reputation.

In 2017, organizers looking for an animal predictor for the FIFA Confederations Cup selected Achilles to forecast match results. Two bowls of food would be placed in front of him, each with the flag of a competing team, and whichever bowl he approached first became his prediction.

To the surprise of many people, he correctly predicted three of four matches. That success was enough to earn him a promotion.

By the time the 2018 FIFA World Cup began in Russia, Achilles had become an international celebrity. Journalists from around the world visited the Hermitage, television crews filmed his predictions, and fans followed his record as closely as some followed their teams.

His caretakers suggested that his deafness might actually work in his favor. Unlike human commentators, Achilles could not be influenced by crowd noise or public opinion. He just walked up to whichever bowl smelled or looked the best.

For a few weeks, that was apparently all the qualification required to become an international soccer analyst. His growing fame was such a big deal that local officials said he would receive an official World Cup Fan ID. It's hard to tell if they really needed to do it or if everyone was just having a good laugh about it. Either way, Achilles got the ID.

After the tournament ended, his soccer psychic career was formally brought to a close at a press conference. Not many cats retire from sports prediction in front of reporters, but then again, not many cats spend part of their resume predicting the World Cup.

At that time, a new chapter was already starting.

After becoming a star, the Hermitage started getting flooded with adoption requests. In the end, Achilles was adopted by the museum's veterinarian, Anna Vadimova, who was picked from tons of applicants wanting to take the famous cat home.

He also started working as a therapy cat, visiting nursing homes, hospitals, and care facilities. Though it was a quieter role than predicting international soccer matches, it probably felt more rewarding, bringing a little bit of joy to people’s days.

From a museum mouser to soccer oracle to a therapy cat, Achilles made quite the career change. Meanwhile, in the basements of one of the world’s most famous museums, other cats are still doing what he started.

Animals with jobs

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