This Coffee Shop Has Gone to the Cats

In Japan, small apartments and busy people make it hard for many animal lovers to have live-in pets. So a purrfect solution has been found. Many Japanese coffee shops started bringing in host cats, critters that are more a decoration than an active greeter. The Idea caught on and now there are such cat coffee shops everywhere. Of course, the scenario also provides a solution for the street cat problem. This week an Australian news website took an interest in the story. The cat cafes charge a cover fee and then provide a free coffee or tea. The admission allows one to play with the cats for one hour. The example fee in this article is about $15. You don’t just get to choose a cat and a beverage; there are several rooms each having a different character – such as a pet shop or a vet clinic, something dealing with pets. About thirty customers visit this shop per weekday, with 80 on weekends. The customers aren’t crazy, though a type of pet therapy does happen. Pets have a way of relieving stress, a common commodity. If you can’t have a pet, why not go enjoy your favorite beverage and get a little stress relief from holding a calm cat? By the looks of the cats, they have it pretty good and look like they know it. The author Andrew Ramadge couldn’t get any of the lounging felines to respond to his question concerning their work conditions. They weren’t any more forthcoming about whether they favored coffee, espresso or tea, either. According to the comment section, Japan also has businesses that rent out dogs by the hour so you can come in and take one out for a walk. For short periods you can have your dream dog with none of the responsibility that comes with pet ownership. That’s appealing if you live in an apartment with no yard. It’s clear that in Japan, one can have their coffee and cat and leave it too. Speaking of cats and coffee, have you tried civet cat coffee yet? See below.