Please be sure to call ahead before traveling to a cat cafe listed on this site. It is difficult to keep track of when locations close or change their hours.
If you have recently visited a cat cafe, or plan to in the near future, you may have many questions about the history of cat cafes and where the cats come from. In most cases, the cats found at cat cafes are either strays or from shelters that are looking for a permanent home.
Many cafes pair up with animal rescue organizations, animal shelters, or animal welfare organizations to give cats a chance at finding loving owners during their stay at the cafe.
The cafes take good care of the cats that stay there. All the animals are up-to-date on their vaccines and shots, fed, and groomed regularly.
In most cases, the object of a cat living at a cat cafe is to be adopted by a family or individual. However, if a kitten is not adopted, it will spend the rest of its life in the comfort of home at the cat cafe. In some circumstances, the cats may even be adopted by some of the staff at the cafe.
Typically, a cafe will have around ten cats living there at a time. As the cats are adopted, new ones will be brought in. Depending on the size of the cafe, they may shelter more than ten cats.
All of the kitties are provided with beds and play furniture and will have a separate space from the actual cafe part of the building. For safety reasons, cats are prohibited from being in the same area as hot beverages.
Continue reading to learn more about a cat’s life while living at a cat cafe, what to expect when visiting, and so much more!
Do Cats Live In Cat Cafes?
Despite cat cafes becoming a more popular concept recently, many people still have questions about how they work, especially regarding the cat’s lifestyles.
Cats will spend all of their time in the cafes. The cats have their own areas for eating, sleeping, and playing. The staff at the cafes take good care of the cats and give them as much attention as they need.
Some people consider cat cafes to be cruel to cats, as they don’t get to have as much free range to roam, and perhaps less personal attraction as they would get with an owner. However, cat cafes are not meant to be permanent homes for the felines.
Most cafes are partnered with shelters to give cats a chance to be adopted by the visitors. But, if a cat is never adopted, it will usually be permitted to live the rest of their lives in the comfort of the cat cafe.
These cat cafes are considered to be a great place for older cats, especially so that they escape the sad fate of staying in a shelter for the rest of their lives.
Are Cat Cafes Cruel To Cats?
Perhaps one of the most important questions anyone may have before visiting a cat cafe is if the cafes are cruel to cats. The concept of cat cafes is completely harmless, and not illegal in any way.
However, the answer to this question will be different for every location and the way they treat their cats. In most cases, cats are treated very well and kept safe at cat cafes.
There have been some cat cafes that were known for treating the cats poorly, were not clean, and have very few rules. These environments are not fair o the cats living there. However, this is not the norm, as most cafes are very good at caring for the kitties that live there.
Most cafes have many rules regarding how customers can interact with the cats, which help keep them safe. There are several rules and guidelines that visitors are expected when visiting a cafe, such as the following:
- No feeding the cats human food or bringing in outside treats.
- Any children that visit must be accompanied by adults.
- Do not touch the cats while they are eating. (Some cafes have cats in enclosed areas that do not permit people to touch the cats at all.)
- No bringing in your own pets (no cats, hamsters, dogs, etc)
Cat cafes also do well at keeping the cats up-to-date on their vaccines and shots, have clean living areas, plenty of food and treat, and are adored by the staff. Cat cafes provide kitties a stress-free atmosphere to live while waiting to be adopted, in comparison to spending their time in a shelter.
State and local authorities also have many rules and guidelines that cat cafes have to abide by in order to keep the cats safe at all times. For example, cats are not allowed in the same areas as food and hot beverages, so that they don’t consume harmful things, or get burned.
Most cat cafes are also affiliated with shelters and organizations that will oversee the atmosphere the cats live in, in order to keep them as safe and comfortable as possible.
Thanks for reading! We hope this article helped you determine how cat cafes find their cats! If you have any questions or anything to add, please comment down below. Also, if you are curious about where to find local cat cafes in your area, check out our cat cafe locator!