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Cat café

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A cat café is a theme café whose attraction is cats that can be watched and played with. Patrons pay a cover fee, generally hourly, and thus cat cafés can be seen as a form of supervised indoor pet rental.

A cat café in the Lower East Side, New York City

Etymology

cat café is officially recognized in the Oxford English Dictionary since August 2015.[1][2]

History

The world's first cat café, "Cat Flower Garden" (貓花園[3]), opened its doors in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1998.[4] The Taiwanese cat café eventually became a tourist destination, attracting tourists from Japan as well as all over the globe.[5] Though the origin of cat café is Taiwan, the concept blossomed in Japan,[4] where the first one named "Neko no Jikan" (lit. "Cat's Time") was opened in Osaka in 2004.[3] Due to the Japan's land size and population, many residents live in small apartments or condominiums which do not allow pets, making a cat café a very popular destination for young workers looking for the companionship and comfort offered. Tokyo's first cat café, named "Neko no mise" (Shop of Cats), opened in 2005. After this, the popularity of cat cafés boomed in Japan. From 2005 to 2010, seventy-nine cat cafés opened across the country.[6]

Asia

Japan

Nekokaigi, a small cat café in Kyoto

Cat cafés are quite popular in Japan, with Tokyo being home to at least 39 cat cafés. The first was Cat's Store (猫の店, Neko no Mise), by Norimasa Hanada, which opened in 2005. The popularity of cat cafés in Japan is attributed to many apartments forbidding pets, and to cats providing relaxing companionship in what may otherwise be a stressful and lonesome urban life. Other forms of pet rental, such as rabbit cafes, are also common in Japan.[7]

There are various types of cat café in Japan. Some feature specific categories of cat such as black cats, fat cats, rare breed cats or ex-stray cats. A cat café in Japan is required to obtain a license and comply with the strict requirements and regulations of the nation's Animal Treatment and Protection Law.[8]

Japanese cat cafés feature strict rules to ensure cleanliness and animal welfare, in particular seeking to ensure that the cats are not disturbed by excessive and unwanted attention, such as by young children or when sleeping. Many cat cafés also seek to raise awareness of cat welfare issues, such as abandoned and stray cats and many often have cats from local animal shelters to help them lose any fear of humans and advertise them for possible adoption.

One café in Tokyo added goats as a way of having a unique element.[9]

Singapore

The first cat café in Singapore is Cat Café Neko no Niwa (Japanese for ‘Garden of Cat’). As of today, there are more than 5 cat and dog cafés in the city.[10][11] The cat cafés are namely Neko no Niwa, The Cat Cafés, The Company of Cats, Meomi Cat Café and Cuddles Cat Café. Neko no Niwa, The Company of Cats and The Cat Café feature cats who were rescued.[12]

The Singaporean Cat Cafes are regulated and licensed by AVA and they are all bound to a 'code of conduct'. Individuals having questions with their cat needs, can join the Cat Welfare Society, which helps with medical fees, sterilization costs or adopting of the cats. Cat Cafes usually have their own/specific houserules.[13][14]

"Cuddles Cat Cafe" was investigated by Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) in December 2014.[15]

Taiwan

The first cat café was opened in Taipei, Taiwan in 1998.[4]

Europe

Austria

According to local legend, the world's first cat café opened in Vienna in the summer of 1912 and ceased operation approximately two years later. It is said that Vladimir Lenin was a regular for a period in 1913, finding the feline companionship a comfort during his time of exile. The cat café is known to have ceased operation shortly after the beginning of the First World War, although the much repeated story that the closure was due to its patriotic owner's donating all the cats to a factory making fur-lined boots for the war effort may be apocryphal.

Denmark

Cafe Miao opened up in Copenhagen in 2014.

Estonia

The first cat cafe in Estonia, Kassikohvik Nurri, opened in October 2014 in Tallinn.

Finland

The first cat cafe in Finland, Kissakahvila Purnauskis, opened in November 2014 in Tampere. It is a permanent home for 7 cats.

The second cat cafe, Kissakahvila Helsinki, opened in July 2015 in Helsinki. It is a permanent home for 6 cats.

France

Le Cafe des Chats is a cat cafe located on 16 Rue Michel le Comte, 75003 Paris, France. This cafe is a diner that includes desserts, tea, and, of course, cats. It is ideally situated in the catacombs beneath the streets of Paris.

Hungary

CatCafe is located in downtown Budapest near St. Steven's Basilica at Révay utca 3.

Italy

The first Italian cat café opened in Turin in March 2014; at first it hosted six cats. Its name is MiaGola Café,[16] which in Italian can be interpreted as a language game: literally mia gola can be translated my throat, while miagola (stressed on the first syllable: miàgola) means (he or she) meows.

The Neko Cat Cafe was opened in Turin on April 5, 2014.[17][18] The resident cats, are all adopted from animal welfare organizations.

Lithuania

The cat cafe in Lithuania, Cat Cafe Kačių kavinė, opened in Vilnius in October 2014. Cat Cafe is located in cener at Jasinskio str 1. It is on of the biggest cafe with cats in the world. 13 cats live there.[19]


Netherlands

The cat cafe Kopjes opened in Amsterdam in April 2015. Kopjes is located at Marco Polostraat 211.

Poland

First cat cafe in Poland was opened in Kraków in June 2015 and is called Kociarnia.[20] The name is a combination of Polish words kocia (catlike) and kawiarnia (a cafe).

United Kingdom

England

In 2014 Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium opened to significant media attention[21][22][23] and a two-month waiting list.[24] Newcastle is now home to Mog on The Tyne Cat Cafe[25] and Willow Cat Cafe.[26] Nottingham has a cat cafe called Kitty Cafe.[27] Several others UK cafes are in the planning.[28]

Scotland

Maison de Moggy is the only cat cafe in Scotland and opened in January 2015.[29][30]

North America

The first cat café to open in North America was Le Café des Chats/Cat Café Montreal[31] in Montreal, Canada, which opened its doors to the public in August 2014.

Canada

Following the opening of the first Canadian cat café, Le Café des Chats in August 2014; Café Chat L'Heureux (also in Montreal) opened in September 2014 with 8 cats adopted from local shelters.

Catfe is slated to open in Vancouver, British Columbia in fall 2015 [32] and Kitty Cat Café and Pet Me Meow are both planning cafés for Toronto to open in 2015.[33]

Also, there is a new cat café that will open during July 2015 in Chelsea, a small municipality near of Ottawa, named the Siberian Cat Café. This cat café is particular, because it only shelter Siberian cats, making it the first hypoallergenic cat café in the world.[34]

United States

The Cat Town Café opened in October 2014 and is a "cross between a coffee shop and an adoption center" in Oakland, CA.[35] They were soon followed in December 2014 by Planet Tails Cat Café in Naples, FL and in quick succession by Denver Cat Company in Denver, CO, Meow Parlour in NYC, The Cat Café[36][37] in San Diego, CA, Purrington’s Cat Lounge in Portland, OR and Calico Nook in Franklin, MA.

In June 2015, the Crumbs and Whiskers cat café opened in the Washington metropolitan area, where it partnered with the local chapter of the Humane Society; this café provides a boarding space for around 15–25 cats at a time, all of which are provided by the Humane Society and made available for adoption.[38][39][40][41][42][43]

In May 2015, Grand Rapids Michigan announced Happy Cat Company & Cafe will open sometime in 2016. They will be partnering with Crash's Landing, a local cat rescue in Grand Rapids, Michigan.[44]

In September 2015, a second cafe opened in New York City called Koneko. It will be supporting felines from Anjellicle Cats Rescue.[45]

In May 2015,[36] The Dancing Cat café opened in San Jose, California as a temporary prototype. Originally intended for a one-month run, it extended its run until November 15, 2015.

Cat cafes in the United States differ from those in many other countries with their focus on adoptions. Hundreds of animals have been adopted through their efforts. In some cases, adoptions are completed for customers visiting on vacation. The Cat Cafe in San Diego has completed adoptions for customers visiting from Nebraska,[46] the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Pennsylvania.

Mexico

Cat cafes have been established in the capital, Mexico city, and in the State of Baja California. "Bastet Cafe" opened its doors on August 30, 2015 in Tijuana.[47]

See also

References

  1. ^ "New words in oxforddictionaries". Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  2. ^ "Manspreading, hangry, Grexit join Oxford online dictionary". Reuters. 27 August 2015.
  3. ^ a b Nikkei BP : Article on May 2, 2008 Template:Jp icon
  4. ^ a b c Feline fun in Japan’s cat cafes 3 April 2012 BBC
  5. ^ http://mentalfloss.com/article/56592/brief-history-cat-cafe
  6. ^ http://www.vice.com/read/meow-meow-meow-329-v17n2
  7. ^ "Tokyo's rabbit cafes hopping with customers." The Japan Times. February 16, 2012. Retrieved on July 13, 2013.
  8. ^ Iwata, Mamiko, All About : Article on March 7, 2010 Template:Jp icon
  9. ^ "Tokyo cafe employs goats to add 'wow factor' - video." Reuters at The Guardian. July 11, 2013. Retrieved on July 13, 2013.
  10. ^ "Cat cafés in Singapore: boon or bane for cats?". Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  11. ^ "Which of the 3 cat cafes in S'pore is the best?". Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  12. ^ "Five Cat Cafés That Have Taken Over Singapore And Why You Need To Visit Them - MustShareNews.com". MustShareNews.com. https://plus.google.com/b/115063286799128078779/. Retrieved 29 October 2015. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ "The Cat Cafe Houserules". Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  14. ^ "Cat Cafe Neko no Niwa". Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  15. ^ "AVA investigates allegations of animal deaths at cat cafe". Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  16. ^ Mariotti, Antonella (21 March 2015). "Sei gatti "seduti" al MiaGola Café a intrattenere i clienti". La Stampa (in Italian).
  17. ^ | url = https://www.yahoo.com/travel/get-the-purrr-fect-snack-in-these-cat-cafes-around-the-101432148032.html
  18. ^ | url = http://www.ansa.it/web/notizie/specializzati/lifestyle/2014/01/02/Cat-cafe-Giappone-Italia-nasce-trend_10231867.html
  19. ^ "Vilniaus centre kurs kačių kavinę". Time Out. 6 February 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  20. ^ https://www.facebook.com/594557637354587/photos/a.599527883524229.1073741828.594557637354587/678863572257326/
  21. ^ http://news.instyle.com/2014/03/12/lady-dinahs-cat-emporium/
  22. ^ http://now-here-this.timeout.com/2013/02/18/funding-secured-for-cat-cafe-to-open-in-east-london/
  23. ^ http://www.cntraveller.com/news/2013/february/cat-cafe-london
  24. ^ "London cat cafe opens to two-month waiting list". BBC News. 6 March 2014.
  25. ^ http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/meet-moggy-family-newcastle-city-9626443
  26. ^ "Moggie-lover opens cat cafe to raise funds for feline shelter". Daily Mail. London. 31 October 2014.
  27. ^ http://www.leftlion.co.uk/articles.cfm/title/cat-caf-/id/7350
  28. ^ Brugrand, Camilla (20 March 2015). "The rise of cat cafes: the perfect solution for animal lovers who can't have pets". The Independent. London.
  29. ^ http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/weird-news/pictures-scotlands-first-cat-cafe-4989909
  30. ^ http://edinburgh.stv.tv/articles/316291-edinburgh-cat-cafe-maison-de-moggy-opening-permanently-in-west-port/
  31. ^ http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/travel/2014/10/18/crazy-cat-ladies-rejoice-the-first-two-kitty-cafes-north-america-now-open-montreal/bVIcWnIkM1bYn50mO6rl3L/story.html
  32. ^ http://www.catster.com/lifestyle/cat-cafes-canada-struggle-space-interview/
  33. ^ http://torontoist.com/2014/11/whatever-happened-to-those-rival-cat-cafes/
  34. ^ "Siberian Cat Café". en.cafechatsiberien.com. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  35. ^ "America's First Cat Cafe Is Open. Here's What It's Like Inside". Huffington Post. 3 November 2014.
  36. ^ a b "The Cat Cafe". The Cat Cafe.
  37. ^ "Cat Cafe Opens in San Diego". Fox 5 San Diego.
  38. ^ Caroline Tucker (28 March 2015). "Cat cafe pounces forward in D.C." ABC7. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  39. ^ Courtney Pomeroy (23 March 2015). "D.C.'s Cat Cafe, Crumbs and Whiskers, Makes Strides Toward Opening This Year". CBS. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  40. ^ Rachel Nania (18 February 2015). "Founder shares plans for D.C.'s first cat café, Crumbs and Whiskers". WTOP. Washington's Top News. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  41. ^ Perry Stein (6 February 2015). "Meet the woman who left her consulting job to open D.C.'s first cat cafe". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  42. ^ Perry Stein (9 March 2015). "Not-yet-open D.C. cat cafe raises serious money in 1 day". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  43. ^ Maura Judkis (20 November 2014). "So, how would a cafe crawling with adorable kittens pass a D.C. health inspection?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  44. ^ Kati Palmurkar (3 May 2015). "The First Grand Rapids Cat Cafe". Happy Cat Company. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  45. ^ Olivia B. Waxman (8 August 2015). "Another Cat Cafe Is Opening in New York City". Time. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  46. ^ Laura McVicker (29 July 2015). "Tourist Adopts Cat From Cat Cafe on Trip to San Diego". NBC7 San Diego.
  47. ^ Elizabeth Rosales. "Inauguran el primer "Cat Café" de Tijuana".
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