Coffee, Cake and Whiskers: What's So Cool About Cat Cafés?

A literal heaven for animal lovers and a kingdom for their furry friends, pet themed cafés are becoming the next big thing in the UK!

It has been long known that the ownership of pets positively benefits ones mental and physical health. However, long working hours, financial instability and tiny rented flats strip many UK citizens from the pleasures of having a four-legged companion.

This is where animal cafés come in.

Origin:

The concept first originated in, Taiwan over two decades ago, where the world’s first ever cat café was opened. Soon the trend moved over to its neighboring capital of themed cafes – Japan – where it eventually rose to popularity and spread way beyond the borders of hosting just cats and dogs.

Sooner or later, fascinated tourists brought the trend into Eastern Europe and it was not long until the UK was taken over by this phenomenon as well.

Here, animal-themed cafes were welcomed with great success after the opening of the longest-running cat cafe in the heart of London - Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium.

What Is It All About?

The concept is simple; the place is packed with 16 friendly rescue cats that customers get to play with and endlessly pet, while sipping a cuppa, for 90 minutes straight! However, for anyone interested in visiting this wonderland (quite literally) of cats, there is a nearly a three week waiting list on their hands, for the place has been beaming with popularity ever since it was opened in 2014.

The Australian owner, Lauren Pears, has managed to crowd fund over 100,000 pounds for the business and the place already had endless reservations even before it was opened! Stylized in the theme of one of our most favourite childhood stories, Alice in Wonderland, and named after Alice’s cat, Dinah, the café is extraordinary in more than just one way.

"It is a great place for customers to come who do not have cats at home or they cannot own cats," says cat carer Katie, at Lady Dinah's while energetically petting Salome, one of the too many black and white cats that live there.

Personal Experience:

While spending the 90 minutes at Lady Dinah’s I was immersed into the beautiful aesthetics of the place as well. Countless black and white cats spread over every angle of the cosy coffee house, acting as if they owned the place, making the atmosphere very relaxing and enjoyable.

Lizzie, one of the most proud cats at the café, knows how to show off her charms to the customers, who coo at her, as she elegantly jumps up onto a giant hamster wheel in the corner of the room and starts taking long strokes making it spin around.

On the other side of the room, the only ginger cat at the café arches his back and hides behind one of the faux roots of the big tree that stands big in the middle of the ground floor at the two-story café, and gets ready to attack a toy a customer has been trying to lure him out with.

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Cat Cafés and Beyond!

In the UK, there are currently around 15 animal cafes open to the public, and it might not come as a surprise to anyone with around 49 per cent of UK adults having a pet at home, that the nation is known to love animals.

In addition to animal cafes, London has faced a few pop-ups of small dog cafés recently, which do not just include tea or coffee drinking with the pooches, but also 30-minute mental health workshops run by professionals in “order to raise awareness and lower the stigma behind mental health.”

“I think people really miss having animals and they can come here and to sort of have a pet for 90 minutes.” said Katie, with a smile on her face.

It truly is a relaxing and timeless experience for people who are unable to have a four-legged friend of their own.