Meet Gatcha, a new cafe where cats for adoption are released and climb onto customers’ laps

Some say that the world is divided between those who despise cats and those who adore these animals. For this second part of the population, São Paulo now has a new café, where seven cats roam freely, climb on the laps of customers, receive caresses — and, yes, some can be adopted.

On the second floor of Galeria Metrópole, in the center of the capital, Gatcha opens its doors this Saturday, the 18th, as the first cat café in São Paulo — or “cat café”, as people like to say on social media.

Despite having become popular in Japan, the concept of the cat café was created in Taiwan, in 1998. It took 24 years for the fashion to arrive in São Paulo. “I’ve been waiting since 2016 for a millionaire to open a business like this here”, says Lucas Rosa, 31. money and set up the project.”

In the new location, Rosa combines two of her passions: cats and matcha, the powdered green tea made from the youngest leaves of the plant. Camellia sinensis. Adored by the Japanese, the ingredient has a bitter taste, a vibrant green color and is used as a base for the production of hot and cold drinks, sweets and drinks.

So, even with “coffee” in the name, Gatcha is more like a tea house. “It’s not supposed to be like Starbucks, where you get the coffee and run out with the drink on the street,” says Rosa. Hence, the choice of location: the Metrópole gallery.

An icon of modern architecture in the city, the complex, opened in the 1960s, has its stores located between Praça Dom José Gaspar and Rua Basílio da Gama, with no exit. “It’s a place where you don’t hear car noise, there’s a garden and even birds”, he says.

The tiny store that now houses the Gatcha is divided into two floors. In the first, there are the counter and tables for the public. On the other hand, the mezzanine is home to the cats — who, yes, will live there.

The green tone of the grass is the same that gives color to the walls, decorated with neons, cat-themed illustrations and other kitty cuteness. At the counter, the public can order matchá — served hot or cold (R$9), with milk (R$12) or a plant-based version (R$15). There is also coffee —espresso (R$5), double (R$6) or macchiato (R$8).

To accompany, the menu offers sweets such as bonbons (R$ 4) and macarons (R$ 7), in addition to other special items that should eventually appear. “We’re always going to serve something different.”

The star ingredient of the house also appears in the cookie (R$13) and in the greenie, a brownie made with matcha (R$11). The original candy, made with chocolate, has a piece that costs R$10.

Okay, but what about cats? Due to Brazilian sanitary regulations, the cats are free, but in a separate area from where the food is served. To access the space, the visitor must pay a fee, charged according to the time — R$15 is paid for 15 minutes with the cats or R$65 per day. But it all depends on the queue. “I want everyone to have the opportunity to meet them.”

There are also a series of rules to follow, such as keeping your shoes, washing your hands well, being careful with your voice. After all, this is the animal house. With furniture full of shelves, toys and scratching posts, even the bathroom entrance has a special passage for cats — a hole in the door and another in the wall; for humans, there is the good old knob.

It will also not be allowed to eat where the animals are, which can be fed with snacks. But you can have tea and even work there, as there is wi-fi on site.

Of the seven cats that inhabit the Gatcha, two are from Rosa: Figo and Mochi. The other five are available for adoption, in a partnership between the store and the NGO Abrigo São Gabriel. “But they’re all in my custody now,” says the home’s owner.

Visitors’ pets are welcome, but only up to the door. They can’t even enter the lower part. “It’s a matter of vaccination control and to avoid fights.” But animals that go to the cafe will be welcomed with complimentary water and snacks. “The Metrópole gallery is great for hanging out with them”, says the gatekeeper.