The rise of cat cafes
Be warned, felines are taking over. And they’ve trained their gaze on cafes
,
Image by : Leonhard Foeger / Reuters
1/8
After three years of negotiations with city officials over hygiene issues, Austria opened its first cat cafe in 2012. Cafe Neko—Neko means cat in Japanese—was opened by Vienna resident Takako Ishimitsu, 47, from Japan. Customers can stroke and interact with their five feline hosts, Sonja, Thomas, Moritz, Luca and Momo, who came from an animal shelter and now freely roam the cafe and take naps when they’re bored with humans. Here, Luca sleeps in his basket as a waitress serves some food to customers
Image by : Getty Images
2/8
Long working hours, cramped apartments, and buildings with no-pet rules make it difficult for Hong Kong residents to keep cats. Those looking for their daily caffeine and cat fix turn to this cat cafe in the trendy Causeway Bay district. Take this curious cat which has two customers in this Hong Kong cafe in its thrall
Image by : Stefan Wermuth / Reuters
3/8
When Lauren Pears opened Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium in March 2014, she was overwhelmed by the response; tables were booked right up to June. Within the first week, she got nearly 7,000 bookings. Yes, people are reserving seats to indulge in tea, scones and cats in London’s first cat cafe. At last count, there were a dozen cats who have designated play areas, wooden beds, a giant hamster wheel and grass-covered pedestals where they can sit and watch the world go by
Image by : Getty Images
4/8
A cat stands on a table to the amusement of Parisians at the Le Café des Chats in Paris. There are at least a dozen cats in the cafe, which opened its doors in September 2013. It is the first cat cafe of its kind in Paris. Feline lovers who don’t mind biting into a buttery croissant with a cat for an audience need to book a table three days in advance
Image by : Corbis
5/8
The cat cafe in Singapore opened in December 2013, and is a labour of love. Its owners want to educate the public about cats and have made the cafe home to 13 felines who were either abandoned or rescued from the streets
Image by : Getty Images
6/8
A dog is given the cold shoulder by a cat in Italy’s first feline friendly cafe, MiaGola Caffè (Cafe Meow), which opened in Turin in March 2014. It’s a place where cats and humans can relax and enjoy each other’s company. In an interview with La Stampa—Italy’s national paper—owner Andrea Levine says her intent is to provide shelter to abandoned cats
Image by : Alexander / Reuters
7/8
Dyushes, a don sphynx cat, stretches on a regal armchair at the Cats Republic Art Cafe in
St Petersburg, Russia, which started out as a branch of the Vsevolozhsk Cat Museum. The cafe includes an exhibition area, a library and a separate hall with cats living inside. Visitors to the cafe can pay $5-10 to play with the cats. According to a report in The St Petersburg Times, 15 cats live in the Republic. The cafe’s newest citizens include a mixed-breed cat named Gauguin, a Leopard cat christened Gala and a purebred American Curl whose name is Mango
Image by : Junko Kimura / Getty Images
8/8
The culture of cat cafes has roots in Taiwan and Japan. A traditional Japanese cat cafe selects pure and rare breeds known for their friendly disposition. Rescued animals are usually not a part of the set up and patrons pay an hourly or entry fee to interact with the cats. But according to The Japan Times, rabbit cafes are threatening the dominance of cat cafes
