Latest news with #catcafe
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Mugs N Mittens holds adoption event with Marion County Humane Society
FAIRMONT, (WBOY) — Mugs N Mittens in Fairmont hosted an adoption event with the Marion County Humane Society on Saturday. The local cat cafe allows you to get a drink, including some specialty drinks named after the cats in residence, and spend time with some feline friends. Three cats that are up for adoption, Bill, Candace and Monroe, visited the shop today, mingling with the other cats and potential owners. Mugs N Mittens is also fostering another Humane Society cat Johnny, who is also up for adoption. Proposal at Mothman statue goes viral Shayla Pittman of the Marion County Humane Society told 12 News why events like this one are important. 'Mugs N Mittens gets a lot more influx of people than we do,' Pittman said. 'So it's nice to have people be able to come here and see what cats we have for adoption outside of the shelter. It also kind of gives them a chance to see how they interact, with other people besides just the people that are coming in and out of the shelter every day.' Mugs N Mittens Co-owner Morgan Boyle told 12 News that she plans to host many more adoption events at the shop. Next week they'll be hosting Doddridge County Humane Society for a 'plant auction' in which there will also be adoptable cats. You can follow Mugs N Mittens and the Marion County Humane Society on Facebook to keep up with its events. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Guardian
21-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
‘It's better for them than being in a cage!' Why are cat cafes suddenly so controversial?
It's just gone 3pm on a sunny Wednesday in Norwich, and the mid-afternoon, midweek slump is hitting hard at the cafe on Dereham Road. Almost everyone here is asleep – before they're roused by the rattle of the Dreamies tub, that is. The Cat House, which opened nearly two years ago, is the city's first cat cafe. From Wednesday to Sunday, for a cover charge of £10, punters can spend 60 minutes (or £13 for 90 minutes) enjoying feline company over a beverage and a snack. There are a few people already here – as well as the 20 resident cats dotted around the spacious converted building. They're curled up above eye level in cat trees, hunkering in boxes and tunnels, weaving in between the table legs. The visitors hover respectfully in their orbit, hoping to be favoured by their attention. From the hushed voices, sound of the water fountain, and nature scenes playing on the TV, the Cat House resembles a library more than a cafe. There's no clue to the controversy about whether it should be in operation at all. Two months ago, the RSPCA and Cats Protection made a joint call for cat cafes to be phased out, saying that it was 'almost impossible' for them to guarantee the animals' welfare. Once a novelty, the concept has become relatively common in the UK, and not just in big cities. According to a freedom of information request lodged by the RSPCA and Cats Protection, there are 32 cat cafes licensed across England (and none in Wales). With 44% of those licences granted in the last financial year, their number may be set to rise further. Not all areas require licences, meaning the charities also suspect more are operating without any oversight. The sudden increase in cat cafes has led both organisations to take a joint stand, calling on local authorities to decline applications for new licences and not renew existing ones. Alice Potter, a senior scientific officer and cat welfare expert with the RSPCA, says the organisation is not solely motivated by the lack of regulation, or the risk of unscrupulous operators. Key to its concerns is the potential for stress from the confined environment, exacerbated by the presence of other cats as well as customers. Though Potter acknowledges that practices 'vary greatly' between establishments, there's no getting around those fundamental challenges, she says. 'Cats are just not built to live in cafes … There's only so much space and freedom they can give.' For cat cafe proprietors, however, the campaign lacks crucial nuance – and seemed to come out of nowhere. 'I was shocked, to be honest,' says Tasmin Hirst, co-owner of the Bad Cat Cafe and Rescue in Wallsend, North Tyneside. She started a petition calling on the RSPCA and Cats Protection to distinguish between commercial cat cafes, run for profit, and those that operate primarily as rescues. It now has nearly 19,000 signatures. Her own venture is intentionally small-scale, home to only eight cats at once, with the aim of finding them permanent homes. When we speak, the cafe has only six felines after two were rehomed the previous day. It is barely even a cafe, Hirst says: 'Ours is run more like a shelter, where we sell food and drink to raise funds for the cats.' The venue's name is tongue-in-cheek, she explains, intended as a playful way of managing customers' expectations should the cats not be forthcoming. Most of the new arrivals come from local shelters that are at capacity, or owners who are forced to relinquish their pets. Hirst says the cafe is also typically able to take bonded pairs or small groups, which shelters might have to split up. 'We quite often take in cats that the RSPCA and Cats Protection have said no to,' she adds, noting the irony. The cats that don't like or aren't suited to the environment are placed locally in foster homes – but 'being in the cafe is a lot better for them than being in a cage', she says. For prospective owners, too, it's a more relaxed way of meeting potential new pets. 'We get to know them so well, we can identify suitable homes … and there's a bit more peace of mind, because we say we'll take the cat back if there's a problem.' She estimates that cats are with the cafe for eight weeks on average – and that, in two-and-a-half years, the Bad Cat Cafe has helped 150 felines into new homes. Hirst has concerns about more commercial operations, and licensing. 'We get the same licence as pet shops used to get, when obviously it's a different concept. I'm not against more regulation, or inspections.' But she worries that the criticism from the RSPCA and Cats Protection, 'unfairly … lumping all cat cafes as one entity', will negatively affect her operation. A few days before our call, the cafe's window was keyed. 'It could just be kids – it was the school holidays – but equally it could be someone who'd heard that cat cafes are bad,' Hirst says. 'People do still listen to the RSPCA and Cats Protection, especially older generations – I don't like how it's going to affect the public's perception of us.' Some may still be catching up on the concept of cat cafes altogether. According to the BBC, the first cat cafe opened in 1998 in Taipei, Taiwan, with just five street cats. When the idea reached Japan in the early 00s, it took off with young professionals prevented by small apartments and strict leases from having pets of their own. Vice reported that 79 cat cafes opened across Japan from 2005 to 2010. Four years later, a pop-up cat cafe opened in New York as a marketing stunt by the pet food brand Purina One – then, in 2015, 'cat cafe' was added to the online Oxford Dictionary. Their steady spread – through the US, UK, Middle East and Europe – coincided with the rise of social media, placing a new premium on novelty, visual spectacle and 'experiences' to post to Instagram. Cat cafes often draw in punters with exotic breeds, photogenic backdrops – and the promise of a photo op. 'While the majority of those who own, work in or visit cat cafes undoubtedly care for the animals, the sad reality is these spaces could be putting people's enjoyment before the welfare of the cats,' says Elizabeth Mullineaux, president of the British Veterinary Association, which supports regulation. Lucy Hoile, a feline behaviourist, agrees that they are rarely 'an ideal environment' for cats and their complex social needs. The perception of them as antisocial loners isn't quite accurate: they can form strong bonds and social groups, but ideally, 'they'd have that freedom to avoid each other, if they want to', Hoile says. 'And the nature of a cat cafe doesn't really give them that opportunity.' The best-case scenario, Hoile suggests, would be a venue built around a 'well-established, stable group of cats who really love each other' – but that is not what she has observed at the handful she's visited as a punter. 'There's a lot of cats that are just making do,' she says. 'They're not attacking people or having huge fights … but there's lots of subtle stress signals you can see, like hiding away and pretending to sleep.' That stress will make them more susceptible to illness as well as unhappy, says Hoile – but the signs aren't always easy to spot, even for experienced cat owners. She is sympathetic to those cafe proprietors who are motivated to help and celebrate cats. 'It must be so difficult to find the right combination of cats, and to set that up for success,' she says. Sarah Price, owner-manager of the Cat House in Norwich, believes she's managed it with her resident group of 20. To see them, lined up together for treats, it's hard to believe that they're all the same species. There's Romeo, an enormous blue-grey maine coon with a lion-like face, whose ears nearly reach knee height. Khamoon, the hairless sphynx, with piercing grey-blue eyes and skin that feels like suede. Augustus Le-Blanc, AKA Gus, a creamy-orange ragdoll who is described as 'nice but dim'. None of the 20 are available for adoption – but Price laughs off the suggestion that that makes the Cat House a primarily commercial venture. 'Business is secondary,' she says, over a mug of tea that reads BEST CAT MOM EVER. 'I do it for the love of cats.' We're seated on the outdoor 'catio', under the observation, from the highest rung of the nearby cat tree, of Lily the Lykoi (or 'werewolf cat', for their somewhat moth-eaten appearance. Nonetheless, she is not without charm). Though Price often highlights cats needing new homes on the Cat House's social media pages, she says she would 'never consider' rehoming directly from the cafe: Today's group has been assembled carefully over time, mostly as kittens, which fit in easier than older cats, Price says. Even so, three have been rehomed because they weren't a personality match, or otherwise disrupted the balance. One, a 10-week-old kitten named Obi, went home with Price, joining her family pets, after he took to haranguing Nellie, Dot and Pearl, a trio of jet-black sisters. 'We took him out of the mix, and everything went back to normal.' Prior to the pandemic, Price worked in care homes, running music workshops. She imagined the Cat House as a sort of community arts centre, with resident cats – reflected now in its regular programming of art classes and craft workshops, all cat-themed. In late 2021, over a five-day road trip, Price visited 10 cat cafes and 'learned that I didn't want to do what they were doing'. Some were on high streets or in shopping centres, with no outdoor access and continual disruption from passersby; others seemed to prioritise the cafe above the cats, serving proper meals, not just snacks. It was clear that many cats weren't thriving, Price says. 'There were lots that were very timid and really didn't want to be touched. You know when you go to stroke a cat, and they arch their back away? A lot of that was happening.' The Cat House opened in August 2023, after a long search for a sufficiently spacious, one-storey venue off the high street. Ensuring peace and harmony on the premises is a constant process of observation and adaptation, Price says. Each cat receives daily grooming, a weekly health check and monthly weighing, meaning there are regular opportunities to check for concerns, signs of stress or changes in mood. There is also extensive record-keeping to ensure consistency and communication across staffing changes – including a 20-point checklist for each cat. 'We write down any incidents – such as: 'Roxy growled at Pearl' – because it's important,' says Price. There are rules for customers, too – chief among them, no feeding the cats or picking them up. The free-form 'lounge sessions' are restricted to ages 10-plus, and 20 customers at a time, but there are regular supervised 'cat awareness sessions' for younger children to learn how to respectfully interact with cats. Price says she 'wasn't worried' by the RSPCA and Cats Protection report. She too has noticed the rapid, recent increase in cat cafes, even in Norfolk, and believes that some would be best shuttered. 'But I just think it needs to be monitored more.' Presently only some local authorities in England and Wales require cat cafes to be licensed and regularly inspected. Those that do tend to use regulations more typically applied to dog breeders, dog daycare and boarding kennels and catteries – so considerations specific to cat cafes can be lost. Instead of phasing them out, Price says a point-based system could be created to prevent them from being opened in high-density areas, to cap cat numbers and account for beneficial factors such as outdoor access and environmental enrichment. 'How much space have you got per cat? ... How big is your building? Can they climb?' says Price. Cat cafes could also be reimagined as add-ons to shelters or sanctuaries. But for the RSPCA and Cats Protection, the concept is not worth fighting for. They are urging the UK and Welsh governments to identify and stop all activities 'that negatively affect the welfare of animals' as part of their review of licensing activities later this year. (Cats Protection has also specifically requested an end to 'cat yoga'.) Potter points to the disagreement, even among cat cafe owners, over which approach is better for welfare – those with resident cats, or those that rehome them. 'There are issues on both sides,' Potter says, 'which is why we don't think cat cafes are suitable for cats, full stop.' It may be possible to design and operate a venue that consistently meets all animals' welfare needs, 'but I think it's very unlikely', she says. Hoile agrees. 'We should be aiming for the best, for every cat … and it's a hugely complicated area to get right, if we do stick with it.' There's perhaps a fundamental tension, she suggests, between cats' needs for escape routes, hiding places and plenty of space, and customers' expectations of coffee with a side of cuddles. 'You wouldn't pay to go to a cat cafe and leave without seeing a cat.'
CNA
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
How one Sengkang home cafe with its very own Totoro cat is brewing comfort, one cup at a time
Having a cat beckon you with his paw like a real-life maneki-neko is probably the cutest thing you'll see. And you are welcome to meet this chubby-cheeked greeter Totoro at Brew With Grace, a home-based, takeaway-only cafe in Sengkang. 'Baobao (meaning precious one in Mandarin) gets paid in Churu treats and pats,' said owner Grace Teo, scooping up her two-year-old British shorthair like a baby and taking an invigorating sniff of his belly. 'So nice!' she beamed from behind her oversized glasses. 'Nice' is indeed a word that keeps coming up as you relax in the 36-year-old's cosy home while waiting for your order. Totoro is not the only welcoming and Studio Ghibli-inspired part of Teo's flat that she shares with her software engineer husband. The low furniture (for both humans and cats), rugs and seat cushions arranged on the wood floor all conspire to make you want to set down your day's weariness and make yourself comfortable. The warm glow that bathes this HDB BTO flat – no doubt an ode to Teo's previous job as a 3D lighting artist – is a feat in itself. No harsh shadows, no glaring lights. It is as if the walls themselves exude a soft, cocooning luminescence. There's lots to delight your other senses as well. An all-season Christmas tree with fairy lights, lacy curtains (the kind you find in quaint, retro cafes), a soothing pine scent and anime music videos on loop play all evoke a sense of carefree familiarity, reminiscent of those childhood mornings spent watching cartoons. FROM BURNOUT TO POTTERY TO COFFEE While it's been barely five months since Brew With Grace opened in late December last year, Teo's journey began much earlier. Her former job as a 3D lighting artist meant working long hours and weekends, which led to burnout, depression and anxiety, and her quitting her job in 2020. 'I was alone at home all the time,' Teo said. Wanting to escape her loneliness without having to go into anxiety-inducing public places, she found Asobi Studio, a home-based pottery studio. But it didn't start well. She remembered freezing when it was her turn to try hand-building a ball of clay. The owner noticed her anxiety and consoled her. 'It's a ball of clay now but it can also be a cup. It's very malleable, very forgiving. If you don't like it, you can press it down again and start all over. Don't be afraid. It's okay,' Teo recalled her words. That foray into ceramics also led Teo to her first taste of real coffee made with a freshly pulled shot of espresso that the owner brought her. 'I didn't drink much coffee back then because of the medications I was on. I'd thought coffee was Starbucks, all whipped cream and syrup. When I drank it, I fell in love with coffee. I'd never felt so calm despite the caffeine.' Teo left the pottery studio that day feeling safe. 'I didn't have an episode. I was okay. I felt hope and peace,' she recalled. 'The experience touched me, how a humble cup of coffee accompanied with warm hospitality could offer much so healing.' BREWING IT UP It was the beginning of Teo's love affair with coffee. First, she signed up for a course to learn about coffee making using her SkillsFuture credits. Then, she went on to work part-time at Monday Coffee Bar to further hone her barista skills. It was there that she learned to better control her anxiety, especially when orders came in thick and fast. 'I was very lucky to have an understanding boss and supportive teammates,' she said. A year or so later, Teo finally put her plans for her home-based cafe in gear. 'I wanted to share that experience I had at the home-based pottery studio with others. Knowing how dark it can be, I wish a little space of mine could bring a little light to them.' 'Before opening, I spent some time experimenting with different types of drinks,' said Teo. 'But my love for a good cup of iced or hot white can't be shaken. In the end, I just put what I love and enjoy on the menu and share it.' Brew With Grace's coffee menu is short and sweet, just hot and iced Black, White and Mocha. Not a coffee fan? She has Strawberry Matcha Oat and Yuzu Matcha Oat – two matcha drinks that are balanced with a fruity tang and rounded off with the creaminess of oat milk. Teo uses coffee beans from Dutch Colony and ceremonial-grade matcha. 'I don't know how to source for cheaper matcha powder, so I just use the good stuff that I find.' Not that her drinks cost more; quite the contrary, the matcha oat ones go for just S$5.50 each, while an order of Black is only S$3, White for S$4 and Mocha for S$4.50. There is no extra charge for iced options and oat milk; just S$1 more for an additional espresso shot. 'I'm not doing this to make a profit,' Teo laughed when asked how she manages to keep the business afloat. 'I charge just enough to cover the cost of my ingredients.' HELLO, LOVELIES! Teo's customers, whom she affectionately calls her 'lovelies', come from all walks of life. 'We have had university students, couples, office ladies and others,' she said. 'Some of them would hang around and play with Totoro while waiting for their drinks. Others would retreat into their own world to do colouring, read a book or journal.' Does she ever feel overwhelmed by the higher level of socialising than what she is used to? 'I feel blessed that I get to chat and make new friends. To be honest, I don't feel that my personal space is affected. So far, my lovelies have been very respectful, amazing and mindful.' There are no complaints from the neighbours either. 'They have been very supportive,' said Teo. 'When I was just starting out and had many doubts, it was their support and encouragement that pushed me on.' Her husband has been a pillar of strength and support for her, ensuring she doesn't strain herself or forget to eat. But Teo thinks Totoro might feel a little differently at the beginning of the cafe's operation. 'Thankfully, he has grown to love humans a lot more, especially since he gets lots of pats, treats and attention,' said Teo, giving her fluffball a big kiss. 'If he needs his privacy, he will go into one of our rooms.' Teo's modus operandi also ensures that the number of orders doesn't get crazy. 'I don't take on too many orders because I make my drinks fresh on the spot, and I do not believe in rushing to fulfil large quantities. I would like my lovelies to enjoy the vibes and conversations while they wait for their drinks to be made.' Moreover, she doesn't accommodate walk-ins. 'Orders are also to be collected at specific time slots, so that they can be mindfully spaced out.'
