What Are Cat Cafes?
By: Faith P.
What are cat cafes? You might have seen these types of cafes pop up around more and more often. These lovely cozy places are the perfect place to get a nice cup of coffee while also playing with some furry friends. They have spread worldwide and have become famous throughout the world.
The Beginning
These cafes first originated in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1998. The opportunity to play with some furry companions while having a sip of coffee brought in many locals and tourists. Many Japanese tourists often visited the cat cafes, and one decided to take the idea back to Japan.
In Japan, these cafes spiked in popularity among both locals and tourists. They provide an easy way to have interactions with cats without the time and responsibility of owning one. The cat cafes provide a stress-free area in people’s busy lives, and you can often find business people in these cafes. There were over 150 cat cafes opened in Japan within a decade.
The Cat soon spread throughout the world, and you can now find cat cafes all through Asia, Europe, and North America. The cafes in the United States are slightly different because of the different regulations, so they have a separate playpen where you can play with the cats.
Benefits
Cat cafes often serve as foster homes for cats before they find a forever home, and the cats at these cafes are often able to be adopted. These cafes often provide cats with a lot of social interaction to get them used to people, and they also allow more people to reach these cats. This gives the cats a better chance of finding a forever home. Adopters would be able to learn more about the personality of the cats, and staff and volunteers learn about the personalities of the cats. Then they can match them with the perfect adopter.
If you want to find a place to adopt, you could always check out a cat cafe in your area.
What to Look For
There are, of course, people who genuinely want to provide a friendly environment for people and cats alike. However, there are always places where the owners want to make money solely. So, look for these signs to decide if the cafe is reputable:
- Pretty strict rules on what you can do while interacting with the cats; such as not allowing flash photography, not allowing you to pick up or feed the cats
- Check if the cats are of different ages, mixed breeds and from a reputable shelter. If you mainly see purebred or rare cats and kittens, the cats may be from a breeder.
- Make sure you see that the cats have space to hide if they feel uncomfortable and that the cafe is not overcrowded with too many cats.
Conclusion
If you want to have a stress-free time and play with some cats, then cat cafes are certainly a good option. There are not many in or near the city of Toronto currently, but when you travel abroad, especially in Asia, you will be able to find them around. Remember to make sure that the cafe you visit is treating the cats well and humanely. Other than that, have fun playing around with the cats!
Links:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/paying-purrs-japans-cat-cafes-180949536/
https://catcafesd.com/benefit-to-cats/
https://www.embracepetinsurance.com/waterbowl/article/cat-cafes
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