Interesting ideas come out of Japan. The latest trends over the years is the Cat Cafe. I wonder if such a cafe business would work in the U.S., but probably not as successful as in Japan.
I have heard of dogs for rent, where people can rent dogs for the hour and just take them out for the day.
At Cafe Nekorobi all the cats have their own photograph albums for visitors to look through. Image source.
Norimasa Hanada, owner of Neko no mise (Shop of Cats) was among the first to open up a cat cafe. Handa explained, cat cafe are popular with young urbanites who live in rental apartments that prohibit pets. While most family condominium allow pets, it’s really the young single people who could use some comfort and companionship of a pet.
Here is Megumi, 33, an office worker. She noticed that each cat cafe has it’s own vibe. This one at Neko no mise, has more friendly cats that are less stressed out. Image source.
The fees are charged by the hour, from $7 - $10. In order to survive in the cat cafe business, they need a high turnover rate of visitors. Despite the recession, the folks here don’t mind spending the money to hang out with these furry creatures. Maybe it is due to work or other stressful events, that cat cafes are so popular. Consider it “pet therapy”.
Read the rest of this entry »
If you live in the south of France and need to find a cat hotel, you can go to Le Jardin des Chats. The hotel is located between Nimes and Montpellierare. The over night stay is $12 (U.S.) per cat. First time clients receive a 20% discount. There are other services such as grooming and an animal taxi service. You can also watch your cat while on vacation with webcams. It’s been noticed that the cats seem to enjoy their time at the hotel so much they don’t even want to leave.
Le Jardin des Chats was born out of necessity by Amandine and Arnaud. When they needed to travel, they didn’t want to put their cats in small caged kennels surrounded with barking dogs. That just wouldn’t be very comforting to cats. Amandine also didn’t like the ideas of asking friends or relatives to check on their cat too often.
These cats are from the homepage of Le Jardin des Chats. The one in the middle looks just like my cat!
The process took them five years to put together. They had to get permissions to build the cat hotel in their back garden. They took courses in health, hygiene and safety in the professional care of animals. They passed the tests and received a diploma. They also had to find a veterinarian that would be available should there be emergencies. By summer of 2007, they were officially opened for business.
Gallery photos of Le Jardin de Chats from French Entree. The cat hotel is located in the south of France. The gray and white kitty under the log is another cat that looks like mine. I really like this place, I think cats will love it. Especially sleeping in the garden sun all day.
If I ever need something inspirational to look at, I just have to go to Flickr and see what’s in store. And it looks like I’ve been doing lots of that lately. And being that I’m a cat person, I just get really excited when I see one that looks like mine or at least close to mine.
looking at mom…
So here’s where I found these picture of the pretty cats. Andrea from Flickr, is living used to live in Japan and found herself able to help a family of feral cats on campus. These cats are one lucky bunch! Andrea is part of a supporter of Animals Asia. Their mission statement: “Animals Asia Foundation is to improve the lives of all animals in Asia, end cruelty and restore respect for animals Asia-wide.” Great job with everything Andrea!
Andrea was able to trap, neuter, and release them again. There is also a similar program in Palo Alto, California for the Stanford University cats. This is the best way to take care of them. So they get to live in the wild but not end up with too many kitty liters and hungry mouths to feed. So next time you want a new pet, just visit your local shelter. Both dogs and cats will be so happy to be with you.
Read the rest of this entry »
