The Cat Café trend hits United States and Canada
On 24th of april opened the very first Cat Café of the United States in Manhattan, Purina pop-cup Cat Café, where visitors can play with cats while having a coffee.
Purina ONE adds to the phenomenom of Cat Cafés in Asia and Europe, offering coffee, conversations and education in animal health, each day featured by an different expert. The goal is to create a rich interactive environment which enables owners to learn more about the health a nutritional requirements of their cats. The cats starring in the event, which lasts only four days, until Sunday, 27th can be also adopted.
And soon cat lovers may count with more establishments where to enjoy cats all year round.
It seems that the magic of a cat made it possible for the 1. permanent New York Cat Café to overtake (almost) all others...
Meow Parlour - opened 15.12.2014
In Portland, Kristin Castillo is working to open Purringtons Cat Lounge, following the pattern from Paris y Tokyo. It’ll be a mix of refuge, bar and café, and will offer coffee, tea, bear, wine and snacks like beef jerky, pickles and popcorn, which are allowed to be sold in establishments with animals. The 12 futures furry occupants will come from Oregon Cat Project, a shelter in Lake Oswego and can be adopted.
www.purringtonscatlounge.com/home/
www.facebook.com/purringtonscatlounge
San Francisco is another city which follows the fashion with the opening of KitTea, scheduled this fall. The name pun of the name reveals that is not to be the classic Cat Café, but some sort of tea house with cat playgrounds, which will offer a variety of organic teas from local providers and Asian and American snacks like mochi and truffels. The promoters Courtney Hatt and David Braginsky are looking currently for a location. The 10 cats, key players at KitTea, will be available for adoption.
But this will not be the only place for catlovers in the San Francisco Bay. Ann Dunn, president of the rescue organization Cat Town and Adam Myatt are running currently a crowdfounding campaign for Cat Town Café in Oakland. Set up as a Non-Profit-Organisation, it’s main goal is the adoption of cats. The local will be divided in two different areas; one cat-free area with coffee drinks and the cat zone, with hand-wash facilities to comply with the Californian sanity regulations. The Pet Food Express chain has offered to sponsor the rental and food supply costs.
www.cattownoakland.org/cat-town-cafe/
www.facebook.com/CatTownCafeOAK
Cat Town Café & Adoption Center - 1º American Cat Café - opened 25.10.2014 (post in spanish)
In Los Angeles, Carlos Wong has created another kickstarter to fulfill his dream: Catfe, which will work hand in hand with local shelters to find a loving home for the cats. He hopes his spot to become a focus which spreads awareness about pet health and security, promotes adoptions from the nearby shelters and offers animal assisted therapies. On the gastronomic level there will be bubble teas, coffees, teas and snacks.
Also in California, San Diego, Tony Wang has created another crowdfounding in order to open The Cat Café, where people can interact with adoptable cats from the Humane Society, while having a coffee and snack.
www.facebook.com/thecatcafesandiego
Another project called Miaou has been launched in Boston.
And is seems that the idea has swapped yet to Canada. In Montreal, Café Chat l'Heureux is foundraising, while receiving a lot of media attention. There will be sitting areas, cat playgrounds, WiFi, books and a selection of hot breverages, fresh juices, pies and cakes. The furry protagonists are to be cats from different shelters and vet clinics, chosen for their sociability towards other cats and humans, and will be available for adption.
www.facebook.com/pages/Caf%C3%A9-Chat-lheureux-cat-caf%C3%A9-Montr%C3%A9al/714917808526964...
Another Canadian CatCafé to come is Smitten Kitten / Kitty Cat Café. The promoter Jennifer Morozowich, animal lover and experimented foster home and her partner have the support from various animal rescue organizations, who’s cats will be fostered in their establishment until finding them a forever home. Free coffee and packed pastries will be offered in a separate, cat free room, to comply with the food security regulations of Toronto.
http://www.facebook.com/kittycatcafeto
Pet Me Meow, also in Toronto, opened 5th and 6th of june 2014 - although only as pop-up Cat Café to promote the future Cat Café, sccheduled to open permanantly this fall. An interactive space for cat lovers, with games, wi-fi, books, live music... The promoters Ashkan Rahimi y Jeff Ro are colaborating with the Toronto Cat Rescue to rise awareness about homeless cats and promote adoption. In fact, 6 of the 10 protagonists of the pop-up event has been reserved.
And Vancouver too seems to get a new space for those who love cats. Michelle Furbacher has applied for license to open her Catfe, a Tokyo inspired establishment, this fall.
We are happy that all mentioned projects are following the example of European Cat Cafés in means of animal protection, with Spain’s La Gatoteca in Madrid as groundbreaker in working with adoptable cats, offering cat assisted therapies and a wide range of parellel activities for feline lovers.