Cat lovers in Tokyo, Japan, who are unable to own pets because of housing regulations can rent one instead at Cat Cafe Calico:
Visitors to Calico pay 800 yen an hour or 2,000 yen for three hours in a big room where 14 well-brushed and shampooed cats hang out. After a thorough handwash, the visitor can play with the cats, read comics or just relax.
The clean, odourless cafe -- Calico has six air fresheners and the litter trays are out of sight -- gets about 70 visitors a day during the week and 150 a day at weekends.
"I want everyone to forget about their jobs and relax," Fukui said, adding that the majority of visitors to Calico are working women and children, and about 70 percent overall don't own cats due to allergies or housing regulations.
Link (Photo: Reuters/Michael Caronna) - via Happy LOL Day
Previously on Neatorama: Flexible Ownership of ... Pets!
Cats with folded ears like that are "Scottish Folds". I would love to have one, but I would never get a cat from a breeder when I could get one from a local shelter. Unfortunately, you don't see folds in places like that very often.
Thanks for the info. I also happen to agree with you as far as sourcing felines goes. We've currently got 3 former shelter cats -- all great critters and over the years have had other strays / shelter adoptees as well.
Besides the humanitarian aspect of rescuing a critter from a pound/shelter AND the sustantial cost savings aspect, there is a practical point as well -- it's MUCH more effective to gauge to "personality" of a potential adult cat adoptee rather than a kitten (such as one typical gets from a breeder).
That "fold" is a cute one though ... no denying that.
Well I still have one bone to pick with this kinda sorta... Where do the cats come from? Breeders or shelters? The cat cafe idea would be perfect to promote shelter/stray care and adoption, even though it seems that the whole point of the thing is *not* owning a cat.
What they should do is push for change so that more people can take care of animals on a permanent basis.
I also agree with isbjorn, but at least where I live, the government FORBIDS that "regular" people volunteer for shelters. They only allow people with veterinarian education to do this. Obviously all vet students are volunteer in our shelters.