Seattle Launches its First Cat Cafe

cat cafe

Seattle now has its own cat cafe called Seattle Meowtropolitan. It is pretty much what interested individuals would expect based on its premise. However, it is nonetheless a good idea for them to read up on it to form a better understanding of what to expect. For example, there is a rule against picking up any of the cats because some of them don’t like being picked up. Similarly, it is important for interested individuals to respect the cats, particularly since they don’t have preexisting bonds with the cats. On top of this, while Seattle Meowtropolitan has a number of cats that belong to the cat cafe on a permanent basis, the rest can be adopted by interested individuals. Something that enables it to stand out from some of the other cat cafes that can be found out there.

Encouraging the Adoption of Shelter Cats

For starters, cat cafes can encourage the adoption of shelter cats by bringing potential cat owners into contact with said animals. This is beneficial because it is common for people to have negative opinions of shelter cats. For example, some might believe that shelter cats make poor pets. Similarly, others might believe that shelter cats have issues that are too complicated and time-consuming to bother with. By bringing potential cat owners into contact with shelter cats, it is possible to dispel some of these doubts, thus increasing the chances of said individuals choosing to adopt said animals. As for why this is so important, well, suffice to say that it is a matter of saving lives. Simply put, animal shelters have limited resources. This means that they can provide an adequate level of food, medicine, and other necessities to a very limited number of animals, which is nowhere near enough to take in all of the new cats that are added to the stray cat population on an annual basis. Thanks to this, animal shelters are often forced to make difficult choices about which animals will live and which animals will die, which is still kinder than letting the latter die painful, drawn-out deaths of starvation as well as other ills on their own. By adopting a shelter cat, potential cat owners save more than one life in the process. After all, they are not just bringing home a household companion, they are also freeing up resources that can go towards helping out other animals.

Companionship for Humans

Humans are social animals. As a result, it should come as no surprise to learn that we don’t do so well without companionship. In fact, loneliness is a very serious problem that can take a horrendous toll on people’s mental well-being, which in turn, can take a horrendous toll on their physical well-being because the various components of human health are inter-connected. Spending time with cats as well as other domesticated animals has been proven to help out in this regard, which is why pet therapy is a real thing. Unfortunately, not everyone can have their own pet cat. Sometimes, interested individuals are living in a place that doesn’t allow cats, meaning that they can’t bring a feline companion home. Other times, interested individuals are unable to spare either the time or the other resources needed to care for a cat. Whatever the case, there are people out there who could benefit from spending time with cats but can’t have cats of their own, thus making a cat cafe the perfect solution for said individuals. Happiness and healthiness often go hand-in-hand with one another, meaning that such visits can be money very well-spent.

Socialization for the Cats

Of course, cats can benefit from such visits as well. They have a reputation for being less enthused about humans than their canine counterparts. There is some truth to this. However, it is important to note that cats can also benefit a great deal from spending time with humans, whether because they are getting physical exercise, mental stimulation, or a combination of both. On top of this, it should be mentioned that spending time with humans is how cats can become more accustomed to their presence. Suffice to say that a well-socialized cat has a much better chance of being adopted, which in turn, tends to mean better outcomes for them in the long run. Of course, there are some potential cons as well.

Hygiene

Hygiene is often a big concern for cat cafes. After all, there are strict rules for how food and beverages should be prepared, meaning that the presence of cats as well as other domesticated animals can introduce major complications. Fortunately, these problems aren’t particularly novel, meaning that there are well-known solutions for them. For example, separate spaces for cats and cooking can be very helpful in this regard. Similarly, more staff members to handle the clean-ups can be useful as well. Having said that, knowing the broad strokes of what to do can be quite different from managing the fine details of such matters, so this is nonetheless a potential concern in a lot of cases.

The Potential for the Cats’ Well-Being to Be Threatened

Moving on, there is the potential for the cats’ well-being to be threatened. To name an example, cats don’t necessarily enjoy being handled, particularly when it comes to people that they don’t know. As a result, forcing the issue can be quite stressful for the cats, which isn’t even mentioning how the cats can wind up lashing out because of that stress. This is the reason that well-run cat cafes have rules about how interested individuals should and shouldn’t interact with their cats, which are meant to maximize the chances of a positive experience for everyone without anyone becoming upset in the process. Besides this, it is worth mentioning that there can be significant differences in the way that different cat cafes treat their cats. Something that can have an enormous effect on their well-being as well.

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