Cat cafe: a place where cat lovers and coffee lovers meet

Themed cafes of all sorts are gaining popularity all over the world, but one of them seems to be with us for a long time: this is a cat cafe. Find out why places like this open near you and what benefits they bring to cats and the people who love them!

Coffee, pastries, cats

In Asia, stray cats have been taking root in various coffee shops for many years. The first cat cafe called Cat Flower Garden opened in 1998 in Taipei, Taiwan. Subsequently, the popularity of cat coffee houses spread to Japan. According to the BBC, in some of these establishments, the owners charge visitors an hourly rate for spending time with cats, but provide a free vending machine with snacks and drinks. Other cafes offer a full food and drink menu, which includes free contact with cats.

One of the reasons for the rapid growth in the popularity of these cafes in large cities is that many people cannot afford to have their own pets due to lack of necessary space in the house, landlord restrictions or busy work schedules. By visiting a cat café, the BBC notes, people enjoy the benefits of being with pets “without having to be held accountable and without the hassle of owning.” Snuggle up to a cat is a great way to calm down after a busy day at work, and people are willing to pay for this opportunity..

Cat friends, permanent shelters

Recently, these trendy establishments have made their way to other parts of the world, including Europe and Australia. In the US, the first permanent cat cafe opened in 2014 in Oakland, California. Prior to that, coffee shops with visiting cats appeared in urban areas, including New York, Denver and Portland, Oregon.

In the US, cat cafes are focused not only on spending time with cute fluffy balls. As a rule, cats living in cafes are available for adoption. If you want to take a cat home, such places provide an excellent opportunity to understand the nature of the future pet and assess how comfortable he is with people.

“We saw the idea of ​​a cat cafe as a way to expand our mission and help more cats languishing in the shelter,” Adam Myatt, co-founder of the Cat Town Cafe & Adoption Center in Oakland, the first permanent cat cafe in the US, told Petcha. To ensure compliance with sanitary regulations in this particular cafe, the area where people eat and drink is separated from the area where cats live. Even the ventilation system is set up to keep air out of the cat area and into the human area, Time reports. That way you can drink your latte and eat your banana muffin without fear of cat hair getting in there. However, health codes vary from region to region, so don’t be surprised if your cat decides to join you at your table in some cafes.

Even if you don’t plan on getting your own kitten, you’ll still enjoy interacting with animals available for adoption in a cafe like this. The Journal of Vascular and Interventional Neuroscience reports that the company of cats helps a person reduce the risk of stroke or other cardiovascular diseases, not to mention reduce stress levels.

If you want to spend a carefree day with friends (including the mustachioed-striped ones) while sipping a latte, then the cat cafe may be exactly the place you are looking for. Search the Internet for establishments near you that offer a similar unique environment. There are more and more of them around the world, so perhaps one of them has already opened much closer to you than you think. So, go to the cat cafe for a cup of coffee, hold the kitten on your lap and let the cat’s cozy comfort brighten up your day.