Have you heard of cat cafés? Apparently they are not new, but it was only this year that I had heard of them and now one has opened locally and I happen to walk past it every day on my way to work!
I have not had a chance yet to actually go in and interact with the cats, but I did pop in this week and take a peek. Felius just opened its doors a few days ago and already I see lots of visitors when I pass by. The actual café and cat play area are fairly small but it seems such a warm and inviting space, I can't wait to go and have a coffee and play with the resident cats/kittens.
If, like me, you are new to the concept--the idea is to have a safe and happy environment for rescue cats and be able to adopt them out to new owners/families. You pay a small fee to go in and hang with the cats, or you can simply just buy a coffee and look in on the play area and support the facility with your purchase. The money goes towards the care of the cats and as you can see it is a happy environment for them. The café is a square area but cut in a diagonal with a glass window separating actual café area from the cat space. The main window looks in on the cat area, which I think I will always be walking past very slowly to see what the cats are up to!
The day I stopped it was nearly closing time, so I had a peek and then took one last look in the window from the street, and this little kitten was looking rather lost with the exodus of catlovers. Doesn't she look like she is beckoning me back in? 'No, wait, come back and play with me. Don't leave me alone, I need to be entertained!'
Of course, typical curious kitten . . . A staff member came in and the kitten turned tail to see what he was up, too. 'Okay, fine, I'm going to see if he will play with me . . .!". I plan on stopping by soon for a cup of something warm. And hopefully for a little cat/kitten therapy. I wish I could have a cat for a companion again, but until my situation changes I can at least hang with the cats at Felius!