I visited Catfe…
Okay, so I’m a crazy cat lady and I’m totally comfortable with this.
We found ourselves with a few hours spare in Vancouver, whilst Googling what to do, G found that there was a Cat Café. So, as this was something on my bucket list, it was the puuuuurfect opportunity to finally visit a Cat Café. Firstly, when planning your visit it is worth checking if you need to make a reservation, most cafés allow visiting slots of 1 hour at a time. Plus they allow some downtime for the cats because after all this is their home and they need a breather too!
Once we were allowed to go into the café, we were given instructions to let the cats come to us and respect the cats who were nervous and spending time in isolated areas. Each cat was up for adoption, some came in pairs, some required a little more love than others and the wall of successful adoptions could warm the coldest heart. At our time of visiting, 171 cats had successfully found a forever home.
We fell in love with a playful chap called “Laka” (who had a brother and sister called Shaka and Boom) he settled on Graeme’s lap and played endlessly. I cooed over him and wished that he could be a part of our life for more than just an hour. We checked back a few weeks later and unsurprisingly he had found a home.
There’s the option to buy drinks and snacks, so during our visit I just sat back with my drink, relaxed and watched all my new feline companions. However, feeding the cats is completely forbidden. I know that there’s an argument that not all cats thrive in this sort of environment. But during my experience, the cats were healthy, well-loved and appeared happy in their home. With the benefit of plenty of spaces for them to hide, have a break and some well-deserved rest away from visitors.
Would I visit a cat café again? Absolutely. I think that this is a great way for cats to show future owners their personality and find a forever home. The only thing that would put me off would be if the cats were unhappy, cramped or ill-treated but in the Catfé Vancouver, this wasn’t an issue at all.
Katie x
