After a long day of wandering around Chiang Rai I was feeling a little weary and in need of something cold to drink. As I stood on the street corner by the clock tower wondering which way to go, I happened to look in the window of a shop. Cats! Lots of cats! I was thrilled. I had stumbled upon my first cat cafe!
I am a huge cat lover and I was very much missing my two furry boys back home, so it was with great excitement that I entered the Cat ‘N’ A Cup Cafe. I was trying to contain myself, as I didn’t want to appear the crazy Canadian cat lady, but I was bubbling with excitement at the opportunity to chill with some furries for a while. As anyone who loves animals can attest to, being around them brings happiness and peace. One of life’s simple pleasures.
I ordered an iced coffee, both to wake me up and cool me down, and scouted out where to sit that had the most cats nearby. I chose a little table on the floor near a ledge with a sleeping Persian and a rambunctious white cat with flat ears. A large number of the cats were asleep on a structure near the front door. I hoped some would wake up in need of a head scratch soon.
As the cats visited the tables near me, thrilling the Thai teens who posed with them for selfies, I wondered why no one was coming my way. Don’t they know how much I love them? Then I saw a girl feeding the cats a treat. Ah-ha! Cat bribery. I asked her what she had and she pointed to the counter. They were selling cat treats. Smart! Considering they cost more than the human food, they had a good idea going. People were snapping up the cat treats and both kitties and humans were loving it! I quickly bought myself a couple packs and instantly had a whole clowder of new friends.
I quickly learned which cats were dominant as they batted the others out of the way, muscling their way in. Always a sucker for the underdog, I did my best to share with the timid guys. This started a couple arguments, but instead of scolding a naughty cat, the staff picked up the offending party and distracted him love and cuddles. Easy to see the cats are equally loved by both the staff and the visitors.
The Cat ‘N A Cup Cafe seems to be a good setup for the animals. They have plenty of space to get away from eager patrons with a walkway built up and around the top of the room, they have plenty of food and fresh water, a clean litter box, and all appeared to be in good health. I did wonder if they fixed their animals, which I hope they do. There are far too many strays already in Thailand.
Have you visited a cat cafe before? Or a bunny cafe? What are your thoughts on it?
Information
Where: Corner of Jedyod & Baanphaprakarn Roads, directly across from the clocktower
Hours: 8:00 am to 10:00 pm
What: lots of cat love, some great drinks and indulgent desserts
“CUP is better with some CATS”
Love the crocheted collars!
Of course you do!!