Cuddly Cafés

We had come to the small café in East London to enjoy a quintessentially British treat. There was tea in fancy china. Scones and finger sandwiches sat on a tiered cake stand. But the café had something even better—a dozen cats to play with.

At Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium, its resident felines are free to roam about. They can leap on wall shelves and rope bridges, play with toys, or nap in baskets. It’s the U.K.’s first cat café, and it’s one of the many animal cafés that have popped up all over Europe, Asia, and the U.S. in recent years. The animals—cats, dogs, owls, rabbits, hedgehogs, and even snakes—are showered with love and attention, while their human visitors get to unwind in the company of their (mostly) furry friends.

We went to the small café in East London for a very British treat. There was tea in fancy cups. Scones and finger sandwiches sat on a tiered cake stand. But the café had something even better than food. There were a dozen cats to play with.

Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium is the U.K.’s first cat café. The cats that call the cafe home are free to explore. They can leap on wall shelves and rope bridges, play with toys, or nap in baskets. It’s one of the many animal cafés that have recently opened across Europe, Asia, and the U.S. There are cafés that let visitors play with cats, dogs, owls, rabbits, hedgehogs, and even snakes. Meanwhile, human visitors get to enjoy the company of their (mostly) furry friends.

The trend began in 1998, when Taiwan opened its first cat café. But it was in Japan where the craze for animal cafés really took off. City dwellers whose apartments were too tiny or who were too busy to take care of a pet sought the comforting creatures in the cafés.

At these cafés, visitors can pet and cuddle with the animals, feed them treats, and play with them. Some places even let patrons rent rabbits or dogs to take on walks in nearby parks. The animals’ comfort and safety is a priority, with many cafés implementing strict rules on how they should be treated. For example, visitors have to wash their hands before touching the animals, cannot use a flash when taking photographs, and must not disturb any critters that are sleeping.

“We’re very strict on ‘the cats do as they please’ policy,” says Jenny Smith from Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium. But at the same time, “we love seeing how happy people are when the cats jump on laps or tables and pay them a visit.” 

Taiwan opened the first cat café in 1998. But it was in Japan where the animal café trend really took off. The first fans were people who live in small apartments or who were too busy to have pets of their own. The cafés let these city dwellers spend time with the comforting creatures.

There’s a lot to do at an animal café. Visitors can pet and cuddle with the animals, feed them treats, and play with them. Some places even let guests rent rabbits or dogs to take on walks in nearby parks. But the animals’ comfort and safety is a priority. Many cafés have strict rules on how the animals should be treated. For example, visitors have to wash their hands before touching the animals, cannot use a flash when taking photographs, and must not disturb any critters that are sleeping.

The cats at Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium are always allowed to do as they please. This is a strict rule at the Cat Emporium says Jenny Smith, who works there. But at the same time, “we love seeing how happy people are when the cats jump on laps or tables and pay them a visit,” says Smith.