Dewanti A. Wardhani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Jakarta | Tue, March 03 2015
Here kitty: A
woman plays with a cat recently in Cutie Cats Cafe in Kemang, South
Jakarta. The cafe, which promotes a “cat therapy” concept, is dedicated
to cat lovers who can play with the cats while enjoying their drinks and
sweets.(JP/Awo)
For many Indonesians, the words “restaurant” and “cats”
will perhaps conjure up a scene where restaurant patrons shoo away
hungry stray cats that are waiting patiently for any leftovers to fall
to the ground, but for many cat lovers, a cat cafe, where one enjoys
food in the company of roaming cats, is just the place they want to be.
Dozens
of people were recently seen queuing in front of the Cutie Cats Café in
South Jakarta, and even paid money just to gain entry and play with
cats.
Located on Jl. Kemang I, the Cutie Cats Cafe is an
integrated cat cafe where cat lovers can eat sweets accompanied by their
adorable cats, all of which are pets of the café owner. Visitors are
also allowed to play with the furry creatures, as the cafe provides
various toys.
The cats run around freely in their custom-made playground, while visitors either take pictures of them or pet them.
Owner
Lia Mutiara Ramadiani said she had raised cats since she was five, and
her love for cats had driven her to open the café. The cats in the café,
she said, were all hers, whether they were rescued, donated or
purchased from a pet shop.
“It’s [the cafe] not necessarily about
money. I love cats and love raising them. Playing with cats is also
relaxing and can also relieve stress,” Lia said recently.
Lia
said that the cats’ playground in the cafe was designed by animal
experts for the comfort of the cats, and that the cats were cared for by
professional vets and were fed healthy meals.
On weekdays, she
said, the cafe would charge Rp 50,000 (US$3.85) for the first hour while
on weekends the price was Rp 75,000. Visitors would need to pay Rp
35,000 for every additional hour.
The concept of a cat cafe was
first introduced in Taiwan in 1998. The cafes became popular after
another was opened in Osaka, Japan, in 2004, proving a sensation with
local residents and tourists alike. Since then, dozens of cat cafes in
other places around the world have also opened shops, such as in Chiang
Mai, Thailand; Munich, Germany; Oakland, US; Ottawa; Penang, Malaysia;
Seoul; Singapore; and Vienna.
The Cutie Cats Cafe is home to 15
felines of various breeds, such as the Maine Coon, Scottish Fold,
Bengal, Himalayan and Persian. The cats appeared to get along well and
even played with each other. Lia said she would add more cats to the
cafe later on.
She said only 19 visitors were allowed in the room
at one time to not stress the cats. Visitors must also take off their
shoes and wear slippers provided by the cafe to keep the surroundings
clean. She advised that visitors make a reservation beforehand. Cat
lovers also cannot bring their own pet cats to the cafes, in case their
cats do not get along with those in the cafe.
“As for food, we
only provide sweets. The food is also prepared in a separate room,” Lia
said. Cakes, coffees and teas start at around Rp 30,000.
One visitor, Mutiara Antartika, said that although she had a pet cat, as a cat enthusiast she really wanted to visit the cafe.
“As
someone who likes cats, the cat cafe is hard to resist. I’ve read about
cat cafes in Japan, Korea, Thailand and Singapore so I’ve been waiting
for a cafe to open in Indonesia,” Mutiara said recently.
Although
the place was small, she said, she enjoyed playing with the cats, and
said she would definitely pay a second visit when more cats arrived.
Another visitor, Sahira Balqis, brought along her toddlers, who seemed to be having fun playing with the cats.
“My
children and I really like cats but I have two toddlers so it’s a
burden for us to have a cat at home. In this cafe, we can play with cats
without having a pet,” she said.
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