An animal café, also known as a pet café, is a place where people can see and interact with various animals such as cats, dogs, rabbits, owls, or sheep while they enjoy the food and drinks.[1] The first animal café was a cat cafe established in 1998 in Taiwan.[2] Since then a number of cafes for various animals have been established globally and become increasingly popular.
Taiwan created the very first animal café in 1998 which was a cat cafe.[2] Thereafter, animal cafes were created in Japan before spreading to the rest of the world. A Japanese tourist visited Taiwan and discovered the potential of the idea before coming back to Japan to establish the first animal café in Osaka in 2004, where the concept flourished.[3] Today animal cafes are found across Europe and America yet they are still more popular in Asian countries and Japan is known as the country with the most animal cafes in the world.[3] Originally the cafes were created for people who enjoy the company of animals however there are now many animal cafes for abandoned or lost animals as well. Such animal cafes are used as a way to help these abandoned or lost animals by providing them not only home and food but also the opportunity to be adopted by customers of the café.[4]
As individuals prefer different animals, there are a number of various animal cafes in the world.
Cat cafés are one of the most common animal cafes, perhaps due to the popularity of cats as pets. A number of different types of cats can be found at cat cafés. Sometimes cats are allowed in all public areas of the cafe but in other cases there is a separate play area where people can play with the cats.[5]
Some cat cafes have cats which are available for adoption, such as those which were strays.[3]
A dog café is another very common animal café. A dog café is more active, noisy, and filled with motion compared to a cat café due to the characteristics of dogs.
Like a cat café, a dog café also provides an adoption system to customers who have the ability to raise them. The dog café can be seen as a sanctuary providing a good experience for customers to make a connection with abandoned dogs, and they probably adopt dogs.[6]
There is a dog café in Los Angeles that has the goal of finding the perfect home for shelter dogs.[7] Customers enjoy the time with dogs and, potentially, become a new owner of shelter dogs.
A more unusual form of animal café is the raccoon café. There is a raccoon café in South Korea in which people can play with raccoons while they drink and eat the food. Because this café is divided into two rooms, people can choose to play with a raccoon or just enjoy their food and drinks.[8] Because raccoons have sharp claws and teeth, there is a warning that the café is not responsible for any damage from raccoons.
In 2016, a hedgehog café was opened in Tokyo for the first time in the world. Because of the strangeness, many foreigners have visited the café. At the same time, some people criticize this café from a viewpoint of animal protection.[9]
There is a sheep café in South Korea which is established in 2011. This café is the first sheep café in the world which has two sheep named Sugar and Honey. It is allowed to feed them some food.[10] People can watch the sheep as they enjoy their meal. However, the sheep don't stay at the café during the summer season due to weather issues.
A rabbit café is located in Japan. Most rabbits are not wandering around like other cats and dogs at cafés but they are often kept in their cages. However, this café sometimes provides a chance to walk around a nearby place with rabbits.[11] A rabbit café by the name of "Bunny Cafe" exists in Kraków, Poland.
There are a few different kinds of bird cafés in Japan such as owls, parrots, falcons, hawks, etc.[12] They are not dangerous and do not attack people because they are well trained by the staff. The staff show customers the way they handle and feed the birds in a safe way. Also, people can take a picture with the birds if they have permission from the staff.[13]
In Cambodia, there is a famous reptile café in which people can see a number of different species of reptiles and arachnids such as turtles, snakes, iguanas, and spiders. People can relax, eat, drink, and learn about a number of different species of animals at the café. They can also take pictures with a variety of reptiles. The owner opened up this café in 2018 with permission from Cambodia's Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Agriculture.[14] He regards the animal welfare as the primary concern at the café.
In 2020, Capyneko Café was opened in Kichijōji, Tokyo, serving as both a capybara and cat café. Currently, two capybara cafés exist in Japan, Capyneko Café and Capy Café, both of which are located in Tokyo. Outside of Japan, a capybara café was opened in St. Augustine, Florida in 2024.[15] Due to capybaras being semiaquatic mammals, concerns have arisen over their welfare.[16]
There are several arguments objecting animal cafés, mostly from a viewpoint of animal protection.
- Some animal experts say that animal cafés might provide some positive effects to animals, but they are more likely to encourage people to buy animals than pay attention to animal welfare.[17]
- Some people argue that the way the animal cafes operate their business is very harmful to animal safety because some animals are not quite suited for the lifestyle at the café.[18]
- Some visitors of animal cafes in Japan express their concerns for the safety and welfare of the birds.[19]
- Japanese animal rights activists also argue that bird cafes abuse birds for the entertainment of humans.[20] As a result, the Japanese government passed a much stricter Animal Protection Law which strengths the new rules and restricts trading hours of animal cafes. The stricter regulations are intended to make sure that those animals at the cafes have appropriate human treatment and care.[21]
There are also cases of crimes against animal welfare in animal cafés. The owner of a cat café in Thailand was arrested by police due to disobedience against the Animal Protection Law. Seven cats died at his café due to poor safety care.[22] Also, such welfare and safety problem can be found in South Korea as well. For example, animals in the cafes were not allowed to sleep until the cafes shut the door late at night.[23] Such animal safety problems are generated due to the absence of regulations on animal cafes in South Korea because animal cafes are a relatively recent phenomenon.[24]
There have also been cases in which customers who were injured by animals at the café complained about the café's safety policy. These cases occurred when the café owners did not take any responsibility for injuries.[23]
- Coffeeshop
- Animal welfare
- Animal protectionism