The reason Cat Cafes have continued to spread worldwide since the first cafe opened in Taiwan in 1988 is because many people who love cats – and animals in general – don’t have the opportunity to own one.
Imagine drinking your coffee in the company of several kittens wandering around between you looking for a pet. If this image “travels” to you, then you are definitely one of the potential customers of a cat cafe, which, apart from the company and play with cats, has many benefits for the customers as well as for the cats and the communities where they are located.
The reason Cat Cafes have been so successful, and continue to spread worldwide since the first cafe opened in Taiwan in 1988, is because many people who love cats – and animals in general – don’t have the opportunity to own one. . This can happen for various reasons: either financial, or limited time and space, or some allergy, etc.
A cat-friendly cafe in the Upper Town
“In Greece – at least for now – there is no legislation to allow someone to officially do what abroad, for the last 10 years, is called a cat cafe”, explains Vicky Tarnana, owner of a cafe in Ano Poli, speaking to APE-MPE Thessaloniki, with a particularly animal-friendly attitude since it is made up of 13 female volunteers who take care of the feeding, care, sterilization and adoption of stray cats in the neighborhood.
As there is – at present – no possibility for a cat cafe license, this space in Ano Poli is limited to the title of pet friendly – mainly … cat friendly since dozens of cats are roaming around in its outer space. “We are not a cat cafe, we are just a place that happened to be in a neighborhood that has a lot of cats and we happened to be animal lovers”, notes Ms. Tarnana and explains that since there is no relevant provision for a cat cafe “… that’s why of course we couldn’t expand it commercially, neither with a trademark, nor with any other kind of placement like they do abroad, because for us it’s essentially a side voluntary job”.
“Everything started 3.5-4 years ago, when we met Zymaroulis, who was a lovable little cat, with whom, like his three little brothers, we became very attached. This is how the “domino effect” started… It was not a conscious business activity. We, due to this circumstance, found ourselves within three years attracting a cat-loving public not only from Thessaloniki, but from all over Greece, which was a wonderful positive surprise, something very moving” said Mr. Tarnana.
So, there may not be official cat cafes in Greece, but the stores that voluntarily deal with this are particularly popular as cat lovers – and especially the youth – have made them viral on TikTok (and not only). These cafes become haunts for many who find the opportunity to take a break from the demanding rhythms of everyday life in the company of their beloved four-legged friends.
The process of care and integration of cats into the community
“Initially we have a system where we offer dry food morning and evening, so the cats probably realize that there is systematic feeding and gather, so that’s how they enter the cat-community. Every time a kitten appears, small or large, we undertake to catch it and take it to one of the 3-4 private vets we work with, who fight for strays at the lowest possible cost for the volunteers. We do their checks, deworming, vaccinations, their books and, at the appropriate age, sterilization. We expect all our kittens to find a home”, explains the owner of the shop to APE-MPE.
“We have different categories of cats: the first is the kittens who have been here for a long time, they come every day for the morning feeding but also in the evening and in between during the day. The second group are kittens that were here, we took care of them, they were spayed, they stayed for a while, then they left and come back periodically, while the third group is the newest ones, who are still in a phobic attitude towards us, so they will come more empty hours, when everyone leaves and this is our challenge, that is, how we will approach them and bring them to us”, points out Mrs. Tarnana.
They promote adoption
The majority of cat cafes worldwide also collaborate with animal shelters, from which they choose cats to host in their stores with the ultimate goal of giving them up for adoption. This is much easier than going to a shelter on your own initiative. By frequenting a cat cafe, many customers become emotionally attached to a cat and often end up adopting. But they make this decision on their own, in their own time, after thinking about it, as they can repeatedly visit a cat cafe without pressure and stress.
In fact, in addition to kittens from shelters, cat cafes also take in cats from the street, and with the proceeds of the store cover any treatments they need to live healthy in a safe place until they are adopted, helping to solve the problem with stray animals in roads.
The adoption process followed by the group of volunteers in which Ms. Tarnana participates approaches adoption in a similar way. “What we do, if someone is interested, is to first make an appointment to give an overall description of what it means to have a kitten in your home, what are the risks and difficulties of an adoption, so that there is a clear picture of what happens when you adopt a cat In fact, we give some of our own “tips” and learn about the expectations of the interested parties in order to also understand if the cat is close to the candidate’s profile in order to proceed to the next step, which is to think about which schedule would be more appropriate to place the cat in the space of the prospective parent”, he points out.
In fact, they also organize events such as cat-bazaar, cat-brunch and cat-cocktail party! “Our events always have two pillars: one is to raise funds so that we can contribute to the feeding, care and sterilization of the animals and the second is for more and more people to know that this is a place that will be able to brings close to their future pet. We try to ensure that our kittens will go to something better, in a safer environment because we are like a foster community”, says Ms. Tarnana. This year they managed as a team to spay 20 kittens and give eight up for adoption.
Cleanliness and compliance with sanitary rules
Cafes that “host” cats are obliged to observe hygiene rules and pass checks like all catering businesses. Most of them are very thorough with cleanliness and the cats do not have access to the kitchen area under any circumstances in order to ensure the quality and hygiene of the products they offer.
“The biggest hurdle for a health care store that wants to have this kind of relationship with neighborhood animals is that obviously we try ‘triple and quadruple’ to keep the conditions hygienic so that people can eat and enjoy what they eat. we offer safely”, notes the owner of the cafe in Ano Poli.
She considers it extremely reasonable and expected that she should respond to consumer concerns in this regard. “The one measure we take has to do with the most essential health and is what care we give to the cats that are on our premises, so as to ensure that in general whatever circulates here, the health of our customers is not at risk. But as far as our part is concerned, we have become overly careful with the preparation part, which for us is an extra stress to prove that … we are not elephants and that we are always there so that the consumer can feel absolutely safe, while we care and the experience of the people who are here.”
Source :Skai
I am Frederick Tuttle, who works in 247 News Agency as an author and mostly cover entertainment news. I have worked in this industry for 10 years and have gained a lot of experience. I am a very hard worker and always strive to get the best out of my work. I am also very passionate about my work and always try to keep up with the latest news and trends.
