America’s First Cat Café Opens This Week
America’s first cat café will open in New York City this week. Although the specialty cafés exist throughout Japan and Europe, Purina ONE Cat Café will be the first in the United States. The unique cafés offer coffee shop favorites, along with the option of cuddling numerous cats.
The café, located at 168 Bowery in Manhattan, is set to open on April 24. Company officials said all cats within the building will be available for adoption. Purina hopes patrons will be inspired to adopt some of the homeless pets.
Although other cat cafés are permanent, the Manhattan location is a “pop-up” shop which will only be open four days. As reported by Spurge, the Purina ONE Cat Café will close on April 28. However, several permanent cafés will open throughout the United States this year.
KitTea is expected to open in San Francisco, California, before the end of the year. As the name suggests, the small café will feature “exotic [tea] blends, sustainably sourced from around the world” and up to 10 cats.
As explained on KitTea’s website, cat cafés are beneficial to the patrons and the cats. Patrons can enjoy numerous benefits from cuddling and watching the cats, including improved mental health, and stress relief.
Like the The Purina ONE Cat Café, all of KitTea’s resident cats will be available for adoption. The café owners hope the shop will help reduce the city’s euthanization rate. Founders Courtney Hatt and David Braginsky have partnered with several animal rescue organizations, which will provide the cats.
Residents of Oakland, California, are anticipating a similar shop called Cat Town. Unlike KitTea, the Oakland Café will be a non-profit organization. Founder Adam Myatt said his shop will seek to pair specific cats with suitable owners.
As reported by San Francisco Eater, Cat Town will offer cats a “cage-free play area,” complete with hand washing stations. The shop will also serve gourmet coffee and snacks — free of charge.
Although each location is distinctly different, Cat Town, KitTea, and Purina ONE Cat Café have all partnered with rescue organizations. Each café is expected to find forever homes for numerous cats and kittens.
According to KitTea, up to 71 percent of shelter cats are eventually euthanized. A large portion of euthanized cats are actually kittens.
Cat Town and KitTea are both expected to open by then end of 2014. However, the exact dates are unknown. Purina ONE Cat Café will be open from April 24 through April 27.
[Image via Shutterstock]
