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Cat café
A cat café is a theme café whose attraction is cats who can be watched and played with. Patrons pay a cover fee, generally hourly, and thus cat cafés can be seen as a form of supervised indoor pet rental.
The world's first cat café, "Cat Flower Garden" (貓花園), opened in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1998 and eventually became a global tourist destination. The concept spread to Japan, where the first one named "Neko no Jikan" (lit. "Cat's Time") was opened in Osaka in 2004. Due to Japan's land size and population, many residents live in small apartments or condominiums which do not allow pets, making cat cafés a very popular destination for young workers looking for the companionship and comfort offered. Tokyo's first cat café, named "Neko no Mise" (Cat's Store), opened in 2005. After this, the popularity of cat cafés boomed in Japan. From 2005 to 2010, 79 cat cafés opened across the country.[better source needed]
In some jurisdictions, cat cafés allow humans to pet, feed, and play with cats and other domesticated animals. Originally popular in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, and mainland China, as of 2025, cat cafes exist in Dubai, Florida, Michigan, United Kingdom, Pennsylvania, and California. In Europe, cat cafés took off in places like Paris, Berlin, and London.
"Cat café" was added to the online edition of the Oxford Dictionary of English in August 2015.
In the United Kingdom, animal charities disagree on whether cat cafés are a suitable environment for cats, with the RSPCA, Cats Protection and the Celia Hammond Animal Trust criticizing them for keeping large numbers of cats in a confined space with a revolving population of people. However, International Cat Care, a nonprofit organization, takes a more positive view, saying, "It is a difficult environment to get right but it's not impossible by any means." All the charities agreed that cat cafés need to be properly regulated.
Cat cafés are quite popular in Japan, with Tokyo being home to 58 cat cafés as of 2015[update]. The first was Cat's Store (猫の店, Neko no Mise), by Norimasa Hanada, which opened in 2005. The popularity of cat cafés in Japan is attributed to many apartments forbidding pets, and to cats providing relaxing companionship in what may otherwise be a stressful and lonesome urban life. Other forms of pet rental, such as rabbit cafés, are also common in Japan.
There are various types of cat cafés in Japan. Some feature specific categories of cat such as black cats, fat cats, rare or popular breeds of cats or ex-stray cats. Cat cafés in Japan are required to obtain a license and comply with the nation's Animal Treatment and Protection Law.
Japanese cat cafés feature strict rules to ensure cleanliness and animal welfare, in particular seeking to ensure that the cats are not disturbed by excessive and unwanted attention, such as by young children or when sleeping. Many cat cafés also seek to raise awareness of cat welfare issues, such as abandoned and stray cats. Many cafes often 'employ' cats from local animal shelters to help them become accustomed to humans, as well as advertise them for possible adoption. From 2012 the cats could be displayed until 8 pm, but in 2016 the guidelines of the environment ministry state that they may visit and play with customers until 10 pm.
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Cat café AI simulator
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Cat café
A cat café is a theme café whose attraction is cats who can be watched and played with. Patrons pay a cover fee, generally hourly, and thus cat cafés can be seen as a form of supervised indoor pet rental.
The world's first cat café, "Cat Flower Garden" (貓花園), opened in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1998 and eventually became a global tourist destination. The concept spread to Japan, where the first one named "Neko no Jikan" (lit. "Cat's Time") was opened in Osaka in 2004. Due to Japan's land size and population, many residents live in small apartments or condominiums which do not allow pets, making cat cafés a very popular destination for young workers looking for the companionship and comfort offered. Tokyo's first cat café, named "Neko no Mise" (Cat's Store), opened in 2005. After this, the popularity of cat cafés boomed in Japan. From 2005 to 2010, 79 cat cafés opened across the country.[better source needed]
In some jurisdictions, cat cafés allow humans to pet, feed, and play with cats and other domesticated animals. Originally popular in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, and mainland China, as of 2025, cat cafes exist in Dubai, Florida, Michigan, United Kingdom, Pennsylvania, and California. In Europe, cat cafés took off in places like Paris, Berlin, and London.
"Cat café" was added to the online edition of the Oxford Dictionary of English in August 2015.
In the United Kingdom, animal charities disagree on whether cat cafés are a suitable environment for cats, with the RSPCA, Cats Protection and the Celia Hammond Animal Trust criticizing them for keeping large numbers of cats in a confined space with a revolving population of people. However, International Cat Care, a nonprofit organization, takes a more positive view, saying, "It is a difficult environment to get right but it's not impossible by any means." All the charities agreed that cat cafés need to be properly regulated.
Cat cafés are quite popular in Japan, with Tokyo being home to 58 cat cafés as of 2015[update]. The first was Cat's Store (猫の店, Neko no Mise), by Norimasa Hanada, which opened in 2005. The popularity of cat cafés in Japan is attributed to many apartments forbidding pets, and to cats providing relaxing companionship in what may otherwise be a stressful and lonesome urban life. Other forms of pet rental, such as rabbit cafés, are also common in Japan.
There are various types of cat cafés in Japan. Some feature specific categories of cat such as black cats, fat cats, rare or popular breeds of cats or ex-stray cats. Cat cafés in Japan are required to obtain a license and comply with the nation's Animal Treatment and Protection Law.
Japanese cat cafés feature strict rules to ensure cleanliness and animal welfare, in particular seeking to ensure that the cats are not disturbed by excessive and unwanted attention, such as by young children or when sleeping. Many cat cafés also seek to raise awareness of cat welfare issues, such as abandoned and stray cats. Many cafes often 'employ' cats from local animal shelters to help them become accustomed to humans, as well as advertise them for possible adoption. From 2012 the cats could be displayed until 8 pm, but in 2016 the guidelines of the environment ministry state that they may visit and play with customers until 10 pm.