What Are Cat Cafés?
Cat cafés are establishments where customers can enjoy coffee or other drinks while interacting with cats that live on the premises. They originated in Japan in 1998 and have since spread to other countries all over the world, including Canada and the majority of European countries.
There are cat cafés in almost every major city in Japan, and cat cafés even exist outside of Japan. The cat café trend has caught on in Taiwan, South Korea, China, the United States, and Canada.
How Do Cat Cafés Work?
The cat cafés that exist today are largely modeled after cat tea houses in Taiwan. At cat cafés, customers can enjoy a beverage as they watch (and pet) resident cats. The cat lounge is open to the public for an entrance fee or yearly membership fee; some cat cafés also offer monthly package deals. Like many other animal rescue organizations and animal cafes, cat cafés do not allow young children because of the noise and activity level involved and because young kids tend to be anxious around cats and cautious with them. Also like other animal cafes, cat lounges typically prohibit patrons from picking up or restricting how cats play, so accidents can happen. A cat’s playfulness may also lead to cat hair, dander, and scratching on clothing.
How Are Cat Cafés Beneficial?
Cat cafés are beneficial for cat lovers by giving them the chance to interact with felines without having to commit long-term (and cat owners already know that owning a cat is like having a child). They’re also beneficial for cats because they provide additional exposure and socialization opportunities. Socialization is important because it keeps cats active and healthy; it can even help with problems like aggression or timidity due to lack of interaction.
Since cat cafés began in Japan, most current establishments are located in East Asian countries like Taiwan or Japan; but since 2015, cat cafés have been popping up across Europe and North America. In Canada, cat cafés are located in almost every province as of 2017.
Will cat cafés be as prevalent as cat cafes? It is hard to say whether cat cafés will ever be as popular as cat cafes; however, these cat lounges aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. They’re a great source of entertainment for cat lovers and exposure opportunity for cats that would otherwise not get the chance to share their love and affection with anyone on a regular basis.
Cat cafés are establishments where cat lovers can enjoy a coffee or other drink while interacting with felines. They originated in Japan and have since spread to other countries all over the world, including Canada and most European countries. The cat café is open to the public for an entrance fee or yearly membership fee; some cat cafes also offer monthly package deals. Their popularity has been growing so fast that they’re popping up everywhere from Taiwan to Europe – but will become as prevalent as cat cafes? It’s hard to say whether cat cafés will ever be as popular as cat cafes – but it doesn’t seem like these lounges are going anywhere anytime soon!
