At the Gato Café in downtown Rio de Janeiro, espresso and tea are served with whiskers and a purr.
In its pink-walled inside, prospects should purchase lattes dusted with cat silhouettes and accompanied by paw-shaped biscuits whereas cats lounge lazily in an adjoining room.
Cat cafés have been first popularized in Asia, the place they originated in Taiwan in 1998. In addition to providing feline firm, Gato Café, which opened final July, concurrently features as an adoption web site for deserted cats rescued by a company known as Bigodes do Bunker (Bunker Whiskers).
Coffe with cat artwork at Gato Cafe. (Photo: REUTERS/Leonardo Benassatto)
In 2019, there have been over 78 million pet cats and canine in Brazil, in line with the Brazilian Pet Institute. As house owners handed away and households have been thrown into disarray through the coronavirus pandemic, many animals have been deserted or left to fend for themselves.
“There are more than 10 million cats without a home in Brazil, and I think that the financial difficulties wrought by the pandemic have unfortunately increased this number,” stated founder Giovanna Molinaro, who was impressed to create the café after a visit to Japan in 2018.
A cat sitting in Gato Café, a cat café in Rio. (Photo: REUTERS/Leonardo Benassatto)
“There are other cat cafés in the world, but here we are focused on the adoption and well-being of our cats,” she added.
Clarissa Haiut stated she was having the time of her life as she stroked a tabby with white patches.
“I’m in paradise with all of these cats. I’m in love with them! It feels like I’m living in a dream full of kittens.”