Cafe with pets as a new way to change the world

Pets in Russia every year are increasingly perceived as full members of the family. Various factors contribute to this: popularization of breeds, self-isolation regime, fashion… and the burning hearts of incredible enthusiasts who are ready to change people’s perception of cats, dogs and other four-legged friends! In this article, we will talk about real pioneers who want and make the lives of thousands of pets much more comfortable.

According to research by Mars Petcare in 2020, about 44% of cat owners and 34% of dog owners perceive their pet as a family member, and 24% and 36% as a friend, respectively.

The pandemic has had a particularly strong impact on society: people have realized how many of them need a tailed friend. Love for pets and the availability of information about them is growing. Over the past three years, the number of domestic cats and dogs has grown by 25% and 21%, respectively. Today it is 63,5 million domestic dogs and cats living with 70,4 million Russians over 14 years old. Imagine: 63,5 million happy pets with loving owners.

The number of homeless animals is much more difficult to calculate. Information in various sources says that in the Russian regions there are at least 660 thousand stray dogs and more than a million stray cats. There are 412 shelters and 219 detention centers registered throughout the country, the total capacity of which does not exceed 114 places. Of course, when there is a problem, there is a solution.

The first cat cafe in Moscow was opened in 2015. In the cat cafe “” each guest can choose and take home a cat that used to be homeless. The cafe operates on the basis of the Good Deed charity foundation for helping animals and people.

Pioneers in the field were, of course, seals.

The first cat cafe in the world was opened in Taiwan in 1998. The Japanese liked this idea so much that from 2004 to 2010, more than 70 cat cafes were opened in Japan for every taste: only with black cats, with hairless, fluffy, and so on. Around 2010, this trend began to move steadily from Asia to Europe.

The first cat cafe in Russia was opened in St. Petersburg in 2011. It still exists and is called the Republic of Cats and Cats.

Of course, not in all cat cafes you can take the cat home. The format of the cafe “” and “Republic”, when the institution is actually considered an open shelter with the opportunity to drink tea, coffee and treat yourself to cookies, is not mandatory. There are a large number of cat cafes where you can interact with exotic cat breeds that just live there. “” were among the first in our country who proposed the idea of ​​introducing pets to their future owners in a cozy and homely atmosphere of a cafe.

You come to the cafe and pay for the time you stay and communicate with the cats. The tariff is similar to an anti-cafe: you pay for minutes, and tea, coffee, cookies and purring cats are included in the price of the visit. All proceeds go to paying bills, salaries of employees and, of course, cool conditions for the cats.

Fluffy here are periodically examined by specialists, socialized, fed in accordance with the norm laid down by the physiological state, and play. In such an environment, cats learn to live with a person, communicate and have a great time. The conditions of the cafe are more comfortable and more natural for cats than the cramped box in the shelter.

A cat cafe is a place where they find their future furry pet, relax and spend time with friends. Surely you have already crept into the question: is it possible for every visitor to take a cat home? Yes and no. As the creator of the cafe notes, on average, every second person takes a cat home.

Let’s say you decide to choose a cat in a cat cafe and take it home. You come to the cat cafe and get acquainted with all its inhabitants. At some point, your heart beats faster and you realize that you have found the “right” cat. You can spend time with her and also ask the staff about this kitty. Also in the cat cafe there is a “menu” of cats, from which you, as the future owner of a cat, can choose a pet. 

If you like a cat, you must fill out a questionnaire: about 40 questions. Next, the curator of the cat will contact you, who will talk with you and decide whether you are a worthy owner for his ward. Cat handlers are very picky, but this is justified by concern for the safety and comfort of the pet.

Cats get into “” in several ways.

• From private shelters. These are cats with a difficult fate, which were found on the street, if necessary, cured and prepared to find a new home.

• The second case is when the family realizes that they can no longer take care of a cat, for example, because a new family member has appeared or someone has an allergy. To the extent possible, cats are accepted in a cat cafe, taking into account the “population density”.

The main condition is that all cafe cats live in a single pride, so they must be healthy. In order for a cat to settle in a cafe, it is necessary to pass all the tests, vaccinate and sterilize. These procedures take two months, and also require financial investments. Not all people are ready for this, so the format is suitable for responsible and attentive people who unite around this initiative.

Dogcafe is a young direction that has great prospects. Today there are cafes with dogs in Korea, the USA and Vietnam.

In Russia, this trend is just emerging – the first such institution appeared in 2018 in Novosibirsk and is called.

The creators of the Cats and People cafe are planning to open a dog cafe “” in Moscow right now in order to repeat the success of their Novosibirsk colleagues. We tried to find out the details of the creation of a cafe and the format for placing dogs.

Dogs are extremely social creatures. It has been scientifically proven that a human and a dog are the most attached species to each other, between which a chemical bond arises. Imagine how such a species feels in a shelter enclosure, where, at best, volunteers visit it once a week. 

Agree, it is much better for dogs to communicate with people, to be in society and sleep on their beds in a cozy cafe, where potential owners can chat with them and take them home. In addition, this is a great opportunity to collect donations for the feeding and maintenance of the dogs.

Spoiler: yes! Cats can, but dogs can’t? We are against discrimination based on barking!

In fact, the question is interesting: in fact, now there is no information in the law that you can’t appear with a dog in shops and cafes. In fact, the announcement that pets cannot enter cafes and shops is illegal. 

Until 2008, the decree of the Moscow government on the rules for keeping dogs and cats really stated that it was quite legal to have a sign prohibiting entry into a store with a pet, but in 2008 this item was removed from the rules. So now you can go to public places with pets. Take note!