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Purrfectspotforcatlovers
byCarlissiaKew|December15,2014Updated13:06

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Herearefiveshortlisted
productionsyoumight
ha
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Thereareicecreamcafes,hipstercafes,middleeasterncafesandnow,thereare
catcafeswherepeoplegettoeatandplaywithfelinefriendsontheloose.

5thingsevery90sstudentremembers
Doyoustillremember
thesethingsfromthe
90s?
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HELLOKITTY:ItishardtokeepyoureyesoffEllyTheTabby,oneoftheresidentcatsatthecatcafelocatedon
thesecondlevelofBugisVillage.(Photo:ShionaOosha)

ItisquiteasightsteppingintoTheCatCaf.Yousmellsavourypastries,lasagneandfreshlybrewed
coffeeandthenyouseethedifferentbreedsoffurryfelineslazingateverybeanbag,cathouseorledge
theycanfind.
The Cat Cafe is a perfect balance between food and cattherapy, serving as a platform where cat
enthusiastswhodonothavetheluxuryofowningcatsbackhomecancometogetherandhangout
withthecats.
My parents are not fond of cats, so I cant keep one at home. Such cat cafes provide a safe and
comfortable environment for people like us to have a chance in interacting with cats, said School of
Hospitality(SOH)studentYeoWeiEn,17.
Admiringthecatsalsocreatesanopportunityforcouplestobondtoo.
Wegettospendtimetogetherhereandrelaxafteraverybusydayofschoolactivities,saidNeoWei
Kian,17,whobroughthisgirlfriendtothecatcafasasurprisebecauseofherloveforcats.
The cats may seem familiar as they are either from the community or abandoned by their owners.
Playing a part in giving back to society, The Cat Cafe works hand in hand with charity organisations
such as Touch Young Arrows and the Cat Welfare Society on educating the public as well as
contributingtotheireffortsfinancially.
TheCatCafisalsotheonlyoneherethatonlychargesaonetimeentryfee,givingpatronsunlimited

timetofocusonadoringthecatswithoutworryingabouthavingtopaysubsequenthourlycharges.
Wedidntliketheperhourmodelasithastoomanyrestrictionsforpatronstoenjoyinteractingwith
thecats.Wefeltthattimeshouldnotbeaconcernwhenitcomestosuchinteractions,explainedco
ownerofTheCatCaf,JeffersonSoh.
Ofcourse,withfreedomcomesafullhousecafe.Thus,patronsmighthavetobeplacedonwaitinglists
duringpeakperiodsbeforetheycangettheirdosageofcattherapy.However,duetothelargespace,
patronsusuallyhavetowaitforjusthalfanhourbeforetheycanenterthecatcaf.
TheCatCaf,whichopenedinJune,followsanothercatcafNekoNoNiwawhichopenedearlier
thisyear.ThreeothercatcafesthathavesprungupoverthepastfewmonthsincludeTheCompanyOf
Cats(6BMosqueStreet),MeomiCatCaf(668NBridgeRd)andCuddlesCatCaf(Scape).
Singapores very first cat caf Neko No Niwa which means Cat Garden in Japanese was built in
memoryofabelovedcatcalledMarbleswhichpassedaway.OwnedbyTanSueLynn,36andSamuel
IsaacChua,inhis40s,theduonowparentthreecats:Mitsu,Genji,andRei.
TheirexperiencesofcatcafesinJapanwasallittookforthemtotakealikingtotherespectJapanese
catcafesfortheircatssomethingtheywantedtobringbackhome.
TheatmospheresinJapaneseCatCafsareverycalmandpeaceful.Thereissomethingaboutthem
thatisappreciatedbycatsandcanbeverywellenjoyedbypeople,saidSamuel.
Amajorfactorforacatcafislocation.Locatedat54ABoatQuay,theroutetoNekoNoNiwacatcaf
isnotexactlyastraightforwardone.WhenSamuelandSuewerescouringalocationforthecaf,they
wantedcatloverstoexperienceserendipitywhileseekingouttheplace.
Youdontfindthecat,thecatfindsyou,saidSamuel.
CentreforEnterpriseandCommunicationstudent,RachelNgRuYi,18,isoneofmanycatloverswho
spendsanhourandahalfofhertimeatcatcafeswithherfriendssinceitsopening.
Thetranquillityyouexperiencewhenyoureinthecafmakesyoufeelrelaxedinstantly.Whenyou
seeallthecatslazingaround,youcanthelpbutwanttodothesame,recalledRachel.
However,beneaththeplatformofbeingjustacatcafforpassionatecatenthusiaststorelaxaround
furry felines, there is a bigger message that Neko No Niwa wants to shed light on since opening its
doorsinDecemberlastyear.
The caf hopes to bring awareness on the growing issue of community cats that are abandoned and
homelessaproblemthatmanyareobliviousto.
With the rising number of abandoned cats, I would think twice before adopting one. It is incredibly
selfishtoadoptacatjustbecauseitiscute,becauseresponsibilitiesareanotherthingyouhaveto
takeintoconsideration,saidRachel.

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