This is a four-page infographic on the somewhat controversial idea of entirely phasing out cat cafés as they are arguably inherently a poor concept in working against cat welfare.
There are some hidden upsides such as the rehoming of cats via cat cafes. But it is a difficult concept as cats are forced into contact with strangers and the cafe owner has to be a skilled cat caretaker as well as good at running a business. Not many are able to do this successfully, I’d suggest.
There must be safety issues too (running out into the street?) plus where do the cats live at night? There is usually a partnership with a cat rescue organisation as I understand it.
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This story about the lack of proper care of cats at cat cafés has been covered by The Times of Thursday, March 20, 2025. It should be said that from the outset there have been doubts about the viability of cat cafés in terms of animal welfare.
Arguably, these businesses use cats as a form of entertainment and support for commercial gain. On that basis an organisation like PETA would possibly argue and probably have argued that is an abuse of cats. Although as mentioned there are real benefits in terms of animal rescue.
In this instance as the Infographic states, the RSPCA and Cats Protection have argued that it was “simply not possible” to ensure that the cats were treated well because they evolved to live a solitary animals.
The argument here is that the cats are forced together in a café which goes against their natural instincts. Although the counterargument would be that domestic cats are adapted to a certain extent to living in groups. Although, it does, however, depend upon the individual cats concerned of course and there needs to be a real sensitivity towards the inherent behavioural characteristics of cats.
Daniel Warren-Cummings, Cats Protection’s behaviour officer said: “This idea of cats sharing space is problematic because cats are inherently asocial, territorial animals. Even if the cats are not in direct conflict, simply the presence of another cat nearby can cause them distress. Unless you’re running a café with just one cat or a bonded pair of cats, you’re not going to be able to meet their requirements.”
He said that there have been reports of cat cafés keeping the animals overnight in pens smaller than a pen at a veterinarian clinic.
And he added that some cat cafés are situated within shopping malls where the cats will never see daylight.
The counterargument comes from the owner of a cat café in Bethnal Green: Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium. This was Britain’s first cat café. The owner is Lauren Pears she said: “We don’t allow cats into our café who show signs – even subtle signs- of stress in that space. We find them good homes. Our chief cat carer has been in her role for a decade. She is a very effective trainer and has trained her teams to know what to look for.”
