This post is for all you cat lovers out there...
The Cat Store in Hong Kong, also known as the Cat Cafe, is just that - a cafe with lots of cats! I am pretty sure you will never see this in the United States due to health regulations.
First let's meet a few of the cats. I had to make up names for them as we never got their real names - the cats only spoke Chinese.
Me Me (common pet cat name in china)
She looks calm here but wait until you see her later.
The Boss - Māo
(cat in chinese)
Dà (big cat)
Yes, they are allowed to sit on the tables - where customers eat.
Bǎobǎo (baby)
It was very difficult to find the cafe - it is in an old warehouse with no signs on the building. If you want to go there - it is across the street from the Uniglo store in Causeway Bay (in the Po Ming Building, Fu Ming Street, 3F).
You have to fill out a card to become a member - no cost. We were wondering if this allows them to have cats roaming free in a restaurant, without being shut down.
They had a very small open kitchen where the cats were allowed to roam and sit freely. Can you see the three below?
A little kitty kiss.
"Little Whip" - they told us she loves whip cream....and I am guessing this snack is a daily event.
"Me Me" was all over the cafe, jumping to the highest place she could get.
Can you see her in the upper left hand corner on the ledge?
She then proceeded to walk along the tiny pipe on the wall.
How many cats can you find in this photo?
Two!
One on top, above the marshmallows and...
... the second one under the sign!
They serve real food with cat themes (pastas, pizza, and sandwiches), fun drinks (non alcoholic), and desserts. We ordered a plate of cat cookies. They were quite good. I imagine by now you are wondering - was the restaurant clean? Did it smell? It was actually quite clean and it did not have a smell - but the hubby did pull out a cat hair from his mouth while drinking his ice cream float : )
There is cat art sprinkled throughout, which you can buy. These were two of my favorites.
Poor "Dà" - he could not even go the the bathroom in peace. A small girl came and pulled him out.
It was a really fun place to visit. If you are a cat lover and are in Hong Kong, you should stop by. Be sure to make reservations as we were there at 2:00 and got the last table - they were then booked til 5:30. And they do limit you to an hour-and-a-half visit. This was more than enough time for us.
A sign on the door as we were leaving...
Sharing with my friends over at Kim's Friday finds...
I'm not even sure what to say about this one since I love it and hate it just about equally - LOL!! As always, I admire the way you seek out the culture everywhere you go and share it with us on your blog. I am sure you must be correct that the "private club" aspect is what gets it around the health regulations.
Posted by: Kathy | 08/24/2014 at 11:14 AM
what an amazing place, I would have loved to have visited it. You always find such neat places!
Posted by: Carol aka traveller | 08/24/2014 at 12:54 PM
I am equal parts delighted (the cat lover part of me)and disgusted (the nurse in me)!!
But it did make me smile!!
Posted by: bobbie h | 08/24/2014 at 01:43 PM
I can truthfully say this is the most unusual blog post I've read in quite a while! As always, I am impressed by your open spirit and willingness to embrace the culture of wherever you are. I am not a cat lover, but I do appreciate the joy that animals bring to this world -and these pictures are proof positive of that joy! You should publish this as a photo essay!
Posted by: Donna | 08/24/2014 at 06:17 PM
You will have to visit the cat cafe in Singapore now. There's a dog petting cafe here too, not for people to take their dog,although they have cafes like that here too, but a cafe with dogs as 'residents'. There's also at least one cat cafe in Tokyo, one in London (on the fringe of the financial district no less) and one in Melbourne....I wonder how many more there are around the world....love your blog by the way, Ive been reading quietly for a while now.
Posted by: Tanya | 09/19/2014 at 02:51 AM
Ive just googled and there are several cat cafes in the United States though sadly not one in NZ yet, where I come from.
Posted by: Tanya | 09/19/2014 at 03:07 AM