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The first ever cat cafe emerged in Asia in 1998 and are now a real 'thing' in Japan with the country hosting over 150 cat cafes, popular with locals and tourists alike.
The concept has gradually made its way to the UK and has really taken off over the last year or so, and it's not hard to see why. Cat cafe's fill the void for avid can fans avoiding the commitment of owning their own pet. Eat, drink, cuddle - what's not to love? Cleanliness spring to mind!
We recently caught up with Sam and Aimee from HGEM, both of whom recently visited cat cafe's. Sam visited a cat cafe in London: "I loved it! It was cleaner than most regular cafes I've been to. There was a lovely calm ambience and the cats were more chilled than any other cats! The cakes were really fresh and the service was friendly and excellent".
Aimee however had a slightly different experience in Japan: "There were over 40 cats in the café and most of them were friendly apart from a big mancoon cat. The one I visited wasn’t the cleanest so not somewhere I would eat. If you love cat’s it was a fun experience!"
Cat cafes may not be for everyone, but we do like the concept of Feline Good Cat Cafe, who are based in Cardiff - this cat cafe is home to 6 rescue cats where the cats will eventually be re-homed and replaced with new rescue cats. A friendly foster home if you will.
So how do these cat cafe's work? Some work like regular cafe's where you order what you like, sit where you like and stay as long as you like. With others, you book an allotted time slot to enjoy as many cuddles as you like, making for more of a destination experience - this also ensures there are enough cats to go around for everyone and provides better service with staff having more time to take care of cats and cups of tea.
So, are cat cafes just a one off experience, a tick off the bucket list? Or a regular place for catching up with friends? Time will tell for the UK but when it comes to Japan it certainly looks like the concept is set to stay.
