Embedded in a teeny tiny hipster part of London entitled Shoreditch is every cat lover's dream -- a cat café. Popularized by Asia, the London Cat Café has 15 cats, which live there full time.
What does one expect at such a magical place? After making a reservation, you arrive to be given firm instructions on not disrupting the pussycats during their sleep/eat/litterbox time, as well as offered fresh shoes and a squirt of hand sanitizer. The menu is rotating, with puns for every item. My date enjoyed a smeowthie while I enjoyed some cat labelled latte provided to me in a mug shaped in none other than the perfect pussy paw itself.
In Shoreditch, you can expect a grey fluff entitled NuNu to be sleeping or bathing herself. I was lucky enough to sit at the same table as this pussycat.
Nunu is a chinchilla Persian breed of cat that came out grey instead of white like Snow and Misty, these cats aren't your average pussies. Freddy, an orange tabby cat sized larger than most small dogs, is the orange tabby cat - otherwise known as Head Puss In Boots Charge. Snow and Ollie can be seen front and center below.
As if a weekly rotating (yes - rotating) menu filled with dishes and drinks (non-alcoholic, but 15 cats are there so it's fine) isn't enough, the workers are more in love with their job than you'd believe. These aren't your average pussy lovers - they know all about raising cats, and why my cat, King Charcoal, refused to give any dominion of my apartment to my roommate's cat last year. "It's all how you raise your cat," the beaming Asian cat café worker told me before providing details on NuNu's life in the café. I didn't raise King Charcoal, I rescued him from the streets of Michigan - so like any irresponsible parent, I take no responsibility for his attitude towards fellow pussies.
While sitting on the floor playing with multiple cats, the beaming worker explained how NuNu loves being brushed, Ollie loves boxes - so much that he used to move them all to one corner of the café at first! Like any cat person, I smiled at how my precious King loves socks - so much that I have to shut my door or else he will transport them to a corner under my bed. A fellow café rat related, with a pussy at home that loves nail files so much that she can never find any of hers! Of course there's the endearing story of my old roommate's cat, Cat, who loved straws so much every drink got knocked over! All three of us beamed at the existence of personalities amongst cats, and how much we loved our own.
Whether or not the cat café is up your cat alley, one thing is clear - if you like cats, coffee, and having good conversation with fellow lovers who share your cat-craziness, this is the place for you to be.
