Cat cafes, a purrfect place to relax

The UK is currently struggling with a housing shortage, which has pushed house prices higher and higher over the past few years. This has led to a number of home-owners and new buyers having to downsize and trade in their houses in place of smaller, compact apartments. Teeny-tiny living spaces, coupled with a busy working schedule, does not lead to a happy environment for a large pet, such as a cat or dog.

City living is particularly tough for wannabe pet-owners, with tiny, gardenless apartments ruling out dog and cat ownership. Still, lonely Londoners will be pleased that the Big Smoke is following in the footsteps of another bustling metropolis with similarly small apartments – Tokyo. This year Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium will open its doors, allowing budding cat ladies (and men!) to rub whiskers with a host of café cats.

Cat cafés are commonplace in Japan, with a large fanbase of feline lovers who pay around £5 to mingle with furry friends and indulge in coffee, cake and catnip. In fact, the café residents are often so popular they have their own groupies and fanpages. And what animal is better suited to the life of a celebrity than the cat? With ingrained diva-ish behaviour and a penchant to purr on demand in return for treats, it seems like the cats get as good a deal as the customers.

However there are a number of people who question the ethics and hygiene of such establishments. I’ve been lucky enough to visit cat cafes in Tokyo a few times, and as an animal behaviour and welfare student I feel that I can offer a somewhat educated view on what I saw there.

To begin with the hygiene aspects, in Tokyo most of the drinks and snacks are served via vending machines, rather than from an actual kitchen, which ensures the staff who are responsible for cat-related jobs aren't handling food or drink. This means patrons are all responsible for their own hygiene. However Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium is placing a heavier focus on food, which may suit the UK market better. While Tokyoites are used to using vending machines to access a number of things, including fresh fruit, drinks, underwear and comics, the UK audience are more likely to associate them with a soggy pasty or decidedly iffy coffee.

However, to meet UK regulations the cats living at Lady Dinah’s will be unable to access any food preparation areas, and will never be handled by staff who are responsible for food and drink.

As a full-blooded cat-obsessive I personally think nothing of cuddling my furry children before putting my mitts on food. However, it’s not a practice I would advise, and it’s good to know that there are procedures in place to prevent any contamination.

In terms of welfare issues, during my visits to Tokyo cat cafés, none of the cats living at the cafés displayed any forms of negative or stereotypical behaviours (such as over-grooming, head-bobbing, pacing or excessive sleeping). All of the cats seemed very active in seeking human interaction and both cafés had stringent rules on approaching the cats. For instance if a cat is sleeping you must not wake it up, and if a cat does not show interest in being patted, you should move onto another cat. They may seem like simple rules, but they help to ensure both customers and cats have a happy balance, and of course any claw-related injuries are avoided. The cats have areas that customers cannot access to escape to when they want a quiet nap, or just a bit of space.

In fact, if anything it seems that Lady Dinah’s will offer better welfare for cats, as owner Lauren Pears is carefully sourcing all of her animals from the Mayhew Animal Home. Which means that not only can she chose cats for having a temperament well-suited to café-living, but also offer a new home to needy cats.

So it seems that when done well a cat café can not only offer a relaxing place for humans to chill out and spend some time with feline friends, but also offer a place when cats can gain much-wanted affection and attention. My time at the Tokyo cat cafes not only left me more relaxed and calm, but also helped me get over a hefty dose of homesickness and missing my cats. So, I’m definitely pro-cat café and can’t wait to Lady Dinah’s to open its doors.

Louise balances her many daydreams with the reality of being an animal scientist. So by day she’s lab-coated and covered in animal bits and by night she’s a knitter, obsessive reader, cat-botherer and midnight baker. She lives in Yorkshire with a husband, bunnies and cats. She loves PJ Harvey, pastel hair and drinks cola obsessively.