Meow Meow Meow

November 9, 2011 10:13 AM

Japan's cat cafes, where you can have tea with cats.
posted by Artw (83 comments total)

Sure, they look cute, but raise that hot glass of tea toward your mouth and they turn into bumper cats. MUST KNOCK GLASS OVER, MUST SPILL LIQUID. Beyond that, though, I think this idea could work well in America.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 10:18 AM on November 9, 2011 [1 favorite]

Totally adorable.

But "pussy lovin'"? Did the translator have to go there?
posted by Specklet at 10:18 AM on November 9, 2011 [1 favorite]

THAT IS THE BEST IDEA.

TEA! CATS! TEA AND CATS!


Let's go right now.
posted by louche mustachio at 10:19 AM on November 9, 2011 [22 favorites]

I hope there is a lot of Zyrtec in that tea.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 10:20 AM on November 9, 2011 [4 favorites]

these cats must be extremely well behaved.
posted by Tarumba at 10:20 AM on November 9, 2011

If I had the money and wherewithal, I would open one of these in Chicago right away.

Also, your tags are awesome.
posted by tzikeh at 10:21 AM on November 9, 2011 [1 favorite]

Next: San Francisco's bird cafes, where you can have tea with bi...oh god...OH GOD...OH GOD GET THEM OFF ME. HELP. OH GOD.

seriously that first photo is terrifying
posted by griphus at 10:21 AM on November 9, 2011 [6 favorites]

As seen on An Idiot Abroad.
posted by BishopFistwick at 10:21 AM on November 9, 2011 [2 favorites]

I wish they had cat baristas in little hipster cat outfits!

They would ignore you like real hipster baristas. Except they would be cats.
posted by louche mustachio at 10:21 AM on November 9, 2011 [19 favorites]

Karl was there!
posted by Harry at 10:21 AM on November 9, 2011 [1 favorite]

Make it coffee with puppies and we'll talk.
posted by amy lecteur at 10:22 AM on November 9, 2011 [6 favorites]

these cats must be extremely well behaved.

Botan has some issues.
posted by Artw at 10:22 AM on November 9, 2011 [9 favorites]

Do strange women with shapely ears serve you spaghetti and then guide you to empty wells that you feel compelled to sit in, clutching a baseball bat while you contemplate the overwhelming meaninglessness of existence?
posted by Kattullus at 10:22 AM on November 9, 2011 [18 favorites]

omg amy lecteur, we could do side-by-side cafés. It's brilliant!
posted by tzikeh at 10:23 AM on November 9, 2011 [1 favorite]

That's nothing, notice that the gray cat is levitating.
posted by leotrotsky at 10:23 AM on November 9, 2011 [1 favorite]

There was a pond in a rhododendron garden near where I went to college. Except for a couple of months in the winter there were ducks in the pond. Ducks are silly, stupid, and wonderful to watch. I called it duck therapy.

This strikes me as similar, given how many people just watch.

I'm in New York now, it's November and I think I've missed my opportunities for ducks until spring.
posted by Hactar at 10:24 AM on November 9, 2011 [1 favorite]

Seems like fun and tummy tickles, but these cats are non-unionised, forced to live on the premises and paid in kibble. We need sab cat on the job.
posted by Abiezer at 10:25 AM on November 9, 2011 [1 favorite]

Cat Lunch Break - a reality?
posted by Artw at 10:26 AM on November 9, 2011 [2 favorites]

Made me curious and I wanted to see more; posting a video of this in case anyone is also curious.
posted by Wolfster at 10:29 AM on November 9, 2011 [1 favorite]

Can you imagine the amount of cat hair that is being drank there?

I really like the idea though.
posted by Memo at 10:30 AM on November 9, 2011

WTF Botan. I'll never see cats with the same eyes again.
posted by Tarumba at 10:30 AM on November 9, 2011 [6 favorites]

I am firmly Team Dog, but I think that this is great. Those kitties look very happy and well-cared for. This could be a neat option for mild-mannered elderly cats that, for whatever reason, wind up living in shelters?
posted by Elly Vortex at 10:34 AM on November 9, 2011

I call dibs on the sidewalk out front to peddle lint brushes.
posted by argonauta at 10:36 AM on November 9, 2011 [2 favorites]

Next: San Francisco's bird cafes, where you can have tea with bi...oh god...OH GOD...OH GOD GET THEM OFF ME. HELP. OH GOD.

Cathy: Can I bring the lovebirds, Mitch? they haven't harmed anyone.
Mitch: You stupid little girl, that's only because they were in a cage the whole time.
posted by shakespeherian at 10:38 AM on November 9, 2011 [1 favorite]

Wait. Does this mean that Maru's landlord is the only nice one in Japan?
posted by thomas j wise at 10:39 AM on November 9, 2011

Mmm a cafe that reeks of cat pee.
THERE IS NOTHING EPONYSTERICAL ABOUT THIS COMMENT.
posted by chococat at 10:44 AM on November 9, 2011

Metafilter: an establishment that makes money off the illusion that patrons will be guaranteed some pussy lovin’.
posted by Clustercuss at 10:44 AM on November 9, 2011 [1 favorite]

Tea with cats is pretty much an every day occurance at my place. Mine don't ignore me, though, all three try to cuddle with me and my mug of warmth.

Still, I think these places are pretty neat. Cats (and dogs, and pets in general) do tend to soothe stress away.
posted by sandraregina at 10:49 AM on November 9, 2011

I love cats
I love every kind of cat
I just want to hug all them
But I can't
Can't hug every cat
posted by emmtee at 10:55 AM on November 9, 2011 [8 favorites]

I don't know if this would fly in the US--wouldn't health regulations get in the way?

I've still liked this idea since I first heard about it. Personally, I think more owners of small stores should adopt elderly cats (they're the best store cats), but I guess that wouldn't make people with allergies very happy.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 10:56 AM on November 9, 2011

Yes, yes, cat cafes sound fantastic.

My question is, when there is a picture of a kitty batting at a string and being generally adorable (about halfway down the page), how does "Botan (female) has the strange tendency to suck on her younger brother’s dick, which she mistakes for her mother’s nipple. As a result, her brother can’t help pissing all over the place." become the best possible caption?
posted by awesomiste at 10:56 AM on November 9, 2011 [11 favorites]

RIP Fup
posted by Artw at 10:57 AM on November 9, 2011 [2 favorites]

Botan (female) has the strange tendency to suck on her younger brother’s dick, which she mistakes for her mother’s nipple. As a result, her brother can’t help pissing all over the place.

Maybe they're covering all the possible markets for this place.
posted by cmoj at 10:57 AM on November 9, 2011 [2 favorites]

Botan (female) has the strange tendency to suck on her younger brother’s dick, which she mistakes for her mother’s nipple. As a result, her brother can’t help pissing all over the place.

Maybe they're covering all the possible markets for this place.
posted by cmoj at 10:57 AM on November 9 [+] [!]

Wait wait - I know this one: The Aristocats!


I'm very sorry.
posted by amy lecteur at 11:00 AM on November 9, 2011 [17 favorites]

thomas j wise: Wait. Does this mean that Maru's landlord is the only nice one in Japan?

I believe Maru's human owns his own home.
posted by tzikeh at 11:01 AM on November 9, 2011

I love this idea but I sure hope that all those cats still have a home after the cat cafe fad fades away.

On preview: Oh Fup! What a great cat, I still have a "Fup, in her prime" tshirt.
posted by jamaro at 11:01 AM on November 9, 2011

yea, great idea, especially if you could get a partnership with the local animal shelter. seems like a win-win. the animal shelter gets to cut costs, potentially making a little money off of the cafe. cat cafe get's free "talent". especially good if you could come, get to know a cat, then potentially adopt it.
posted by cupcake1337 at 11:09 AM on November 9, 2011 [2 favorites]

rick

rick

rick

what the fuck is chai?
posted by Think_Long at 11:10 AM on November 9, 2011 [42 favorites]

I get cat hair in my food at home so I'm good.
posted by LarryC at 11:12 AM on November 9, 2011

Other cats try to lick milk out of the pot that they bring with your coffee. Maybe that’s just their way of saying that they want to play with you.

I think that's probably the cats' way of saying that they want milk.

My dream was never to own a bookstore/cafe, but a cat cafe? I would like that.
posted by jeather at 11:19 AM on November 9, 2011 [4 favorites]

But "pussy lovin'"? Did the translator have to go there?

At a previous, Japanese employer, the litterboxes they made had Japanese labels with English translations on them. One read "This is the best toilet for your pussy".
posted by fatbird at 11:19 AM on November 9, 2011

ohhh yeaaaaahh
posted by Think_Long at 11:27 AM on November 9, 2011

I'm going to open my own and call it The Best Little Cathouse In Texas
posted by The Whelk at 11:42 AM on November 9, 2011 [4 favorites]

Even down to the cat named Pocky. Very nice touch.
posted by Danf at 11:52 AM on November 9, 2011

Oh Japan. Never change!
posted by Metro Gnome at 11:58 AM on November 9, 2011 [2 favorites]

Kitty + Doggy
posted by Artw at 11:59 AM on November 9, 2011 [2 favorites]

This certainly takes the record store cat to the next level.
posted by Sailormom at 11:59 AM on November 9, 2011

I've never understood why cafes and book stores aren't stuffed with cats as a matter of course.

The financial power inherent in the mesmeric effect of Feline Bone Structure is far, far from being fully leveraged.
posted by darth_tedious at 12:13 PM on November 9, 2011

Tea and cats, you say? Welcome to breakfast time at my house.
posted by SyntacticSugar at 12:55 PM on November 9, 2011

Is it just me or do those cats look really big?
posted by shoesietart at 1:03 PM on November 9, 2011 [1 favorite]

I've never understood why cafes and book stores aren't stuffed with cats as a matter of course.

Twice Sold Tales here in Seattle is notoriously full of cats; it seems to work pretty well for them.
posted by Mars Saxman at 1:23 PM on November 9, 2011 [2 favorites]

Welcome to kitty city.
posted by Bron-Y-Aur at 1:40 PM on November 9, 2011 [4 favorites]

Cute, but what happens to the cats once the fad is over?

Also, what self-respecting cafe doesn't already have a cat or two slinking about?
posted by Scientist at 1:46 PM on November 9, 2011

FOR SALE: USED CAT
posted by Artw at 1:49 PM on November 9, 2011

For sale: Used cat, never worn.
posted by shakespeherian at 1:53 PM on November 9, 2011 [1 favorite]

I wish someone would do this with dogs.
posted by needs more cowbell at 1:54 PM on November 9, 2011

I am not a dog person, but my understanding is putting that man dogs together will lead to them becoming a pack and trying to eat you.
posted by Artw at 1:55 PM on November 9, 2011

Yes, these are real, yes, I've been to one. They are unrepentantly awesome. The cats are well taken care of, and the one I went to in Odaiba (in the Decks entertainment complex, seriously easy to get to for anyone visiting Tokyo) was set up like an apartment, full of human furniture. It was clearly geared towards the cats, though. There were walkways up near the ceiling, with openings in the walls so the cats could easily walk between rooms, and also easily get away from situations they didn't like. The rooms were quite full of places for the cats to retreat to, actually, and aside from the total adoration given them by the customers, the staff were very gentle and loving.

I know there is a kind of stunned amazement/oh-those-crazy-Japanese-people when hearing about these places (or being able to rent a dog for a day), but the reality of it is that apartments here are tiny. A studio apartment in New York is like a palace of unlimited space compared to the sub-20 sq. meter apartments that a lot of young, single Japanese people live in. Keeping anything but a goldfish in one of those would be inhumane. Even in larger units, it's incredibly rare to find a landlord that will allow pets, and maybe only ten percent of those will allow cats.* for a lot of people here, cat cafes are one of the best ways to get a good cat cuddle. That, or you can go to Aoyama Cemetary with a bag full of cat food and spend some time with the strays. I saw an older couple do this once. A bag full of tinned food, and there were probably more than thirty cats.

Seriously, if you come to Tokyo, give a cat cafe a try. Everything will be fluffy, and nothing will hurt.

*Our cat is the main reason we bought a house here, rather than moving to a new apartment after we got married. Between being a forefinger and having a cat, it was nearly impossible to find a place to rent. Even finding a condo building that would allow cats was difficult. As long as we keep the food dish filled, and her belly rubbed, our cat is happy enough to let us live in her house.
posted by Ghidorah at 2:24 PM on November 9, 2011 [7 favorites]

Richmond has a 6 acre cat sanctuary with over 700 cats in it - it's a big place - you can show up any Sunday afternoon between 1 - 4pm and hang out with the cats, many of which are very friendly and happy to have a cuddle. They have a kettle but I'd bring my own tea and hang out with a friendly cat there.
posted by Salmonberry at 2:59 PM on November 9, 2011 [2 favorites]

Speaking as someone who created a whole website for the purpose of having people send me cat pictures, WANT!
posted by limeonaire at 3:00 PM on November 9, 2011

As seen on An Idiot Abroad.

Yes! I didn't even realise there was a second season until Monday and when I did I immediately got them all, and it was great to be back in the air with that roundy-headed twonk.

The best bit? His idea for what superhero he would be: Bullshit-Man. No special powers, he just pops into meetings, points at the guy talking, and says "Bullshit!"

And everyone in the meeting goes "Oh yeah, it's true: that's Bullshit-Man. And we're all talking bullshit."
posted by tumid dahlia at 3:11 PM on November 9, 2011 [2 favorites]

Wow, I hope animal shelters clock onto this and open cafes.
posted by yoHighness at 3:11 PM on November 9, 2011

They would ignore you like real hipster baristas. Except they would be cats.

The way my cats ignore me I always thought they would make excellent hipster baristas.
posted by tumid dahlia at 3:12 PM on November 9, 2011 [1 favorite]

"I am not a dog person, but my understanding is putting that man dogs together will lead to them becoming a pack and trying to eat you."

Nah, but they will become very excited and might occasionally nip at each other to establish dominance. And they'd need to be walked, which might be difficult if there are a number of them getting their leashes tangled together. Cats are pretty low maintenance by comparison.
posted by Kevin Street at 3:36 PM on November 9, 2011

There were a bunch of women who opened a cafe here in Canberra about a year ago. It was awesome in many many ways (Wii, double bed for lounging on, homemade organic vegan food), but the best thing about it was KITTENS. They had three kittens that customers could play with while they ate/drank/hung out. The only rule was you had to keep their harnesses/leashes on, and stop poking them to play with you if they got too sleepy.

The first thing that happened is that one of the kittens went missing. No one even knew how that was possible. Then the health department removed the other kittens. Supposedly it's not allowed. Then the cafe went bankrupt, because all its customers were too sad to visit anymore without the kitties.
posted by lollusc at 4:25 PM on November 9, 2011 [1 favorite]

(Or maybe, as my husband points out, because people who didn't know they had to have a license to keep cats in a food-serving place also didn't have much in the way of a business plan.)
posted by lollusc at 4:26 PM on November 9, 2011

Twice Sold Tales (mentioned above) had a problem with people stealing kittens. Bizarre.
posted by Artw at 4:36 PM on November 9, 2011

Did I miss something? What did the caption about Botan have to do with the picture? Why did they harsh my buzz by telling me about that? (I am hideously allergic to cats and so some of my buzz is from imaginary dander and saliva proteins, but still, ew.)
posted by gingerest at 4:39 PM on November 9, 2011

In the video that Wolfster linked to, I love the wall with all the ledges and planks of wood. My cat would also like that wall. I wonder how hard it would be to build that wall in my house?
posted by lollusc at 4:52 PM on November 9, 2011

I've also seen the dog version of this in Japan too, initially they sound strange but when you think (and as stated in article) people aren't allowed pets in their apartments.
So this gives a perfect interaction with house hold pets that most wouldn't be allowed to keep in their places.
posted by Merlin The Happy Pig at 5:10 PM on November 9, 2011

THIS IS THE GREATEST IDEA EVER

*goes to book ticket to Japan*
posted by Kitteh at 5:13 PM on November 9, 2011 [3 favorites]

Between being a forefinger and having a cat...

The...you're a what?
posted by tumid dahlia at 5:14 PM on November 9, 2011

Between being a forefinger and having a cat...

The...you're a what?

Pretty sure that was an autocorrect typo for "foreigner". But it made me laugh too.

Also:

THIS IS THE GREATEST IDEA EVER

*goes to book ticket to Japan*
posted by Kitteh at 10:13 AM

Eponysterical!
posted by lollusc at 6:09 PM on November 9, 2011 [1 favorite]

Our bong shops seem to like to have kittehs. I walk by one on the way home from work and always try to spot them presiding over the psychedelic posters and Bob Marley flags.
posted by moneyjane at 6:17 PM on November 9, 2011

Wow. Yeah. Foreigner. Stupid auto-correct.

Also, there's a cat cafe near our station. Mrs. Ghidorah and I have talked about going, but I feel like it would be cheating on our cats. I mean, we'd come home, smelling like strange cats, they'd find the hairs on our clothes, and there'd be the tearful recriminations while they packed their tiny little suitcases and stormed out to go live with their litters for 'a while.'
posted by Ghidorah at 6:26 PM on November 9, 2011 [4 favorites]

Between being a forefinger and having a cat, it was nearly impossible to find a place to rent.

Landlords in Japan are also notorious for only renting to pinkies and thumbs.
posted by louche mustachio at 11:29 PM on November 9, 2011 [3 favorites]

Finally! A career path!
posted by Space Kitty at 11:47 PM on November 9, 2011 [1 favorite]

I went to one in Shinjuku and it was honestly a bit depressing. The cats were cute but seemed very sleepy or somehow out of it. Once the novelty wore off it seemed a bit like a kitty prison :(
posted by dave99 at 12:32 AM on November 10, 2011

They have these in Seoul, South Korea as well. I was there a few weeks ago in the Myeongdong district and my husband noticed a couple of people dressed in cat and dog costumes. They were about a block apart from each other (naturally) and were holding signs with arrows pointing to their respective dog and cat cafes.

We didn't have time to visit them but we popped our head into the door of the dog cafe. Immediately at least 5-7 dogs came up to the door, tails wagging, very curious with bright expressions of "Ooooh please come in, please please please! I'm so happy to see youuuuu!!" They all seemed sooo happy and well behaved I was really really tempted to just go in "for a second" to play with them all while having a capuccino.

Some notes that brought the fantasy right back down to earth: Unfortunately it did smell rather musty in there, despite looking very clean. The cleanliness was also mainly due to a girl who's main function seemed to be to follow behind the dogs with a little mop to clean up after them. Seems like one of the more soul crushing jobs I could think of.
posted by like_neon at 4:27 AM on November 10, 2011

It was only soul-crushing because it was dogs. Everyone knows cats poop joy and piss happiness. Dogs, not so much.
posted by Ghidorah at 5:45 AM on November 10, 2011 [1 favorite]

Indeed, that's why cats use glitterboxes.
posted by jamaro at 8:19 AM on November 10, 2011

Twice Sold Tales (mentioned above) had a problem with people stealing kittens. Bizarre.

So, is it people who think they're rescuing the kitties from unpaid labor, or people who don't realize that you can drop by a shelter and have an assortment to pick from all for yourself?
posted by Karmakaze at 10:42 AM on November 10, 2011

I suspect that it's that second bookshops for whatever reason seem to draw some odd kinds of customers.
posted by Artw at 11:20 AM on November 10, 2011