The rise of cat cafes

Be warned, felines are taking over. And they’ve trained their gaze on cafes

Feb 27, 2015, 06:51 IST1 min

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And Turin, tooA 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 Getty Images

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From Russia, with a purrDyushes, 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 Alexander / Reuters

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Blame the cat invasion on JapanThe 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

Image by Junko Kimura / Getty Images