I’ve seen these before (and dog cafes, too), but reading this article makes me want others to know about this bizarre and adorable service.

Cat cafes are establishments where you can go in, pay an hourly fee, and spend quality time with cats while relaxing. You basically have all the best parts of having a cat without actually owning one. This seems to be popular among stressed workers, and what better way to relieve stress than stare at adorable things? (Does Cute Overload get an increase amount of hits during exam season? Just wonderin’.)

There is a pet boom–particularly a small dog one–that has been resulting in a lot of animals getting thrown away by owners who have lost interest (example: I saw a stray pure-bred Siamese cat wandering around in Okinawa.) These cafes are a good solution to provide people with the ideal of being with pets without the responsibilities.

Mr. Maeda, of Neko JaLaLa, started the cafe with a neighbor who shared his interest in increasing public awareness of cats, particularly strays. He explains that he hopes his little cafe is the first step in raising a larger awareness of cats in a country where about 240,000 are euthanized each year, partly as a result of pet dumping.

With his companion, Jack, a three-year-old black cat, curled up at his feet, Maeda says, “Everything here is based on the idea of getting people to love cats.”

The cafes seem pretty ethical too–aimed more towards adults who just want to relieve stress instead of children, who might abuse the cats (Neko JaLaLa enforces a “no-pulling mandate”). This also seems to be a convenient way for people to meet (one couple ended up getting married after reaching out to pet the same cat), or just socialize with other cat lovers.

It can probably go without saying that such cafes would never exist in America–animal rights groups would go crazy, and the cafes would inevitably be targeted towards parents with children to make the bigger bucks. But you know how sometimes you will go into a small shop, and they have a cat just lazing about? Isn’t that the best?

Source: Tokyo’s cat cafes offer serenity in the city - Christian Science Monitor

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Foxes | japan | Monday, April 28th, 2008 | Trackback