I have two cats, one a neurotic weirdo who likes high places and one a senior on the brink of senility, who will occasionally spend the morning shouting at the walls. They’re infuriating and adorable.
I bring them up because I’ve been thinking about cat cafes. A Japanese trend that is spreading around the world – Regina has two, one of which is vegan, which seems somewhat counter to cat biology – I wonder how long it will take before someone takes the plunge and starts one up in Yorkton.
Animals really are a draw for a lot of people. I know my favorite part of getting a haircut is the barber’s dog. While a cat cafe is not for everyone, it is for a lot of people, especially people who can’t have a cat of their own.
A Yorkton Cat Cafe is a pretty good idea. There is plenty of retail space available and plenty of rescues who would make ideal partners for such a business. If you’re going to make a cat cafe, it makes more sense to have a business where people could adopt one of the cats. There is no end to the number of stray cats out there, because while both of my cats are spayed, not everyone else is as forward thinking.
You would work with the local SPCA or a rescue, get a variety of cats, start serving coffee and there you go, cat cafe. I’m sure plenty of people would like to rush head-first into this feline paradise, but as someone who shares his home with two cats, I need to give some advice.
Be very careful what you buy for furniture. If there is a hole that a cat can get inside, the cat will get inside that hole. You may not even be aware that the hole exists, it might be a cut under the cushion of a couch for example, something small and hidden that you don’t realize exists until a distressed cat is meowing at you from inside the couch and you’re trying to find a way to cut it out of the furniture.
Since this is a place where you’re serving food and drink, you’re going to have to be aware of health rules, especially given that there would be animals in the business. The Regina locations actually have separate rooms for cats in order to comply with codes. You will also need to remember that a clever cat can open doors, you might not realize that until you come into your cafe one morning and see bread strewn about the entire place.
Cats are varying degrees of social. I don’t mean that there are some social cats and some that hate attention. I mean that a single cat can go from very social to an angry ball of claws and teeth for no apparent reason. They can also get bored with people if they spot something like a bug or another cat that they feel the need to chase. If your customers aren’t experienced with the many moods of cats, they might be surprised by this development.
Finally, don’t let any of this discourage you. A cat cafe is novel enough that it’s going to be a draw from people out of town if you market it well enough, will be a good way for people to meet cats they can adopt, and it’s something that nobody else is doing in the city. It’s a fun idea for a fan of felines.
