Cat cafés. Or 猫カフェ (neko café), as they were categorized in my head until very recently. With my unique case of feline adoration and Montreal becoming the first city in North America to get its own cat cafés, I must say I was thrilled at the opportunity to visit both establishments. In the same week.
I also got to write about both cafés (one article for Urban Expressions, and one for divine.ca), which made it completely justifiable that I was snapping away as though I’d never seen a live feline before. As Chababa can attest, this is absolutely not the case. It also wasn’t my first time in a cat café. I’ve also been to two in Tokyo, Japan: one in Shibuya, and one in Akihabara. I have to say the experience I had there was quite different than what it’s like going to a cat café here in North America.
First of all, I had to call to reserve a spot for the one I went to in Akihabara; as you can guess, it was pretty packed. Packed with kitties, but also with visitors, who were all sitting on the ground distributing treats to the cats (whom some knew by name, by the way), running cat videos on their phones, and playing. The other cat café in Shibuya was much bigger, with a lot of natural light, and my sister and I had the place to ourselves: a much more relaxing experience. At both places, I paid a rate by the half hour and there was a one drink (coffee, tea, whatever) minimum.
Here in Montreal, cat cafés are actually more what I had first expected them to be like when I first went to the ones in Japan: actual cafés where you can sit and read, or chat with a friend, and where there just happens to be kitties roaming.
Although it’s clear the main attraction is the cats, things are laid out so that the place looks like a café, with many tables and chairs. The ultimate goal is not necessarily to interact with the cats: you can just sit there sipping your chai and enjoying their presence if that’s what you want to do. Of course, most people get up and make an effort to go towards the cats, which is kind of ironic. If you’re a cat lover, you know that cats would rather come to you, rather than you being a little too enthusiastic and showing interest in them. Of course, it’s hard to resist going after them and showering them with affection: this, I understand firsthand.
In any case, both cat cafés in Montreal are highly enjoyable, although Café Chat L’Heureux also serves amazing food that would make me want to go back just for a bite to eat! And I will. Le Café des Chats is too centrally located not to go back: at the corner of Sherbrooke and Saint-Denis, it’s bound to become a hot spot, as well. From now on, I’ll take my coffee con gatos, please.
As a bonus, I thought I’d include some pictures from my visits to cat cafés both in Montreal and in Tokyo. And because most bijou magazine posts feature kitties and this post is actually about them, it definitely calls for an extra dose. Enjoy!
