#pet cafes

[lifebuoyjournals]

Exotic animal cafés in Japan: A new fashion with potential implications for biodiversity, global health, and animal welfare

https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/csp2.12867

An interesting article about animal cafés, this one focusing on animal cafés in Japan. The authors are not in favour of animal cafés and cite multiple reasons, including exacerbating wildlife trade of exotic and threatened species, increase risk of zoonotic disease and poor animal welfare.

[fracturedporcelaindoll]

Strange thought,

But what if there were places like pet cafes only for people, and it was more like headpat cafes and you could just go in and depending on what you wanted either sign up for having headpats/hair petted or be the person giving the headpats or hair pettings ~

[hospitality-world-news]

CCD promises a cuppa with your furry friends now - ET HospitalityWorld

CCD promises a cuppa with your furry friends now – ET HospitalityWorld

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With hectic lifestyles particularly in today’s environment, most pet owners don’t get to spend enough time with their pets. They are seeking options which can allow them to hang out with their pets in a safe, comfortable and familiar place. With the rising number of pet parents and shrinking pet friendly public spaces, there is a need for restaurants/ cafeswhich allow people to chill with…

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[drjorighetti]

5 Things You Didn't Know About Asia's Amazing Pet Cafes

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Asia’s Amazing Pet Cafes

Have you ever visited a pet cafe? If not, put it on your bucket list as a must-do. I loved my cat yoga class at Sydney Cat Cafe earlier this year! Here is a unique insight into Asia’s pet cafes from Samuel Anderson, self made barista, coffee fanatic and pet lover...

Mocchi cat Nekorobi cafe

I didn’t know what to expect the first time I visited Nekorobi, one of Tokyo’s oldest cat cafes. For one,…

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[seekernetwork]

Inside The Pet Cafés Of Japan

Animal cafés are extremely popular in Japan. These special cafés give people a place to connect with owls, bunnies, turtles and other pets that they wouldn't normally get to have.

Working full time in Japan can be extremely demanding. Most people end up working nearly 80 hours a week. There are a lot of things they miss out on, one of which is having enough time to own a pet and be able to properly take care of it. This is where pet cafés come in.

[itsanimalabuse]

Cat cafes: good or bad for cats?

(Image source)

Over the past few years, cat cafes have gone from rare obscure establishments to widely popular ones, gaining global coverage and fame. Since the first cat cafe opened its doors in Taiwan in 1998, the phenomenon has spread to Japan and other Asian countries as well as Europe and North America. These establishments are popular amongst cat lovers, especially in urban areas where many are unable to keep cats as pets. Before you decide to pay a visit to a cat cafe, here are some questions to ask yourself (or the cafe staff!):

(Caveat: I’ve personally only been to two cat cafes, one in Singapore and one in Asakusa, Tokyo, so I am mostly speaking from experience — I won’t be naming any names, because these visits were made a year ago and their practices may very well have changed since then.)

Is there adequate room in the cafe for the number of cats it houses (i.e. cat density)?

Cats need space in order to engage in natural hunting/play behaviours, which would provide them with necessary stimulation, as well as reducing cat-on-cat aggression. Space does not mean just floor space, but also cat walks and cat trees, which provide high and quiet perches for cats to hide from customers and from one another if necessary.

Does the cafe have guidelines for interacting with the cats, and safe private spaces for them to retreat to and escape from human interaction?

Most cafes generally have rules set up for the safety and comfort of the cats, such as washing hands with soap and taking off shoes before entering the cattery, not giving the cats food and drinks meant for humans, not disturbing sleeping cats, and not picking up the cats. Not only must these rules be in place, but the cafe also needs to have enough staff/manpower to keep an eye on customers and enforce them.

One of the cafes I visited had a closed private room with a cat door that was accessible to the cats at all times, but customers could not enter or see inside it. (I believe this should be a requirement for every cat cafe committed to cat welfare, but the space should also be sound-proof from the noise customers inevitably make.)

However, another cafe I visited had no escape routes for cats (not even high perches inaccessible to humans) and they had a shy, stressed cat clearly not used to human interaction hiding under the chairs and constantly running from humans who wanted to pet him.

Does the cafe declaw their cats to make them more suitable for interaction with humans and with one another?

There is a general consensus in the animal rights community that declawing is a cruel and unnatural process that can definitely be avoided. Especially in an environment that exposes them to many potential threats (both human and feline), the cats need their primary defense mechanism to protect themselves in dangrous situations should they arise. (Of course, this does not apply to adopted/rescued/rehomed cats that have already been previously declawed.)  

Does the cafe take proper precautionary measures when introducing new cats and when housing them together?

Cats are naturally solitary creatures, and introducing two or more cats for the first time is an extremely risky procedure that requires great caution. Especially in a place as small as most cafes tend to be, there must be measures taken to introduce and socialise the cats to ensure minimal risk of aggressive behaviour and that effective action can be taken if aggression does arise at any time.

Does the cafe monitor their cats for health problems/injuries and give them veterinary care when needed? Have all the cats been given the necessary vaccinations and neutered/spayed? Is the staff properly trained to handle cats, spot problematic symptoms and signs and administer first aid if necessary?

Since cat cafes tend to house many cats at one time, and the staff are often busy dealing with customers and preparing food and drink, cats that develop illnesses or injuries are often overlooked (especially consider cats are reclusive creatures that do not often display obvious signs of distress or pain).

Here’s a case of a cat cafe in Singapore whose staff reported negligence in veterinary care (tw: mention of animal death, picture of ringworm patch).

Are the cats in the cafe adopted/rescued or purchased from breeders?

Some cafes market themselves on only featuring pedigree cats or cats of a certain breed, but whether these cats were purchased or adopted varies from cafe to cafe. Many cafes only adopt/rehome cats from shelters and private owners or take in strays, and some even have all their cats up for adoption, basically acting as a large-scale foster home or adoption centre.

TL;DR Cat cafes are primarily businesses reliant on marketing human-cat interaction as a service for profit (excepting those run by non-profit organisations for the sake of rehoming/adopting out the cats). Providing cats with the option to hide from humans, among many other things necessary to their welfare, will hinder the quality of the service that they are marketing, and some will undoubtedly choose profit over cat welfare. Before choosing to support any of these establishments, it’s worth putting in some time and effort to research and ask questions, so you can enjoy your time with the kitties knowing that they are truly treated well.

Note: These questions can be applied to some extent to evaluate cafes featuring other animals, e.g. goat cafes, rabbit cafes, dog cafes and bird cafes. However, cafes allowing interaction with wild animals (such as owl cafes) are definitely NOT ethical or safe and should not be supported. 

[modfarm]

Goat Cafes Are The Next Big Thing

Forget cats: Farm animals are the latest trend in Asia’s cafe culture.

[88dblifestyle-blog]

The best deals of Pet Cafes & Food, Dog Cafe & Friendly Restaurants in Singapore. Find the thousands of services and latest products on 88DB Pets channel.