14 DAY TRIAL // The cats cafe concept is not a new one: it has been around since 1998, when the first establishment of this kind opened in Tokyo, Japan. The concept is now spreading all around the world, with similar cafes being opened in Asia and Europe, giving customers the chance to interact with feline residents while enjoying a cup of tea or coffee.
St. Petersburg’s Republic of Cats Cafe opened just a few months ago and already enjoys a lot of attention both from locals and tourists. The cafe is really popular with children and adults as well, people of all ages coming to see the eight feline residents of the establishment.
Four of the felines from the Republic of Cats were brought there from the State Hermitage Museum, where they used to hunt mice and the other four are purebreds acquired from breeders.
The Cat Republic is part of the Vsevolozhsk Cat Museum near St. Petersburg and, besides the eight permanent cat residents, it also hosts a cat library and an exhibition area with paintings and photos of cats. Cat lovers also have the chance to purchase souvenirs such as pillows or photo frames.
The cafe has an interesting system in which every customer needs to fill out a visa application, for them and for their pets as well. No one is denied the visa, because its purpose is to inform customers about the house rules. Before entering the cat room, guests are asked to wash their hands and to put on shoe covers.
The most important rule is to “never insist on any cat interaction if the cat is not willing to engage in” because “the citizens of the republic are free cats,” according to the Russian website RiaNovosti.
On their first visit to the Republic of Cats, children are measured “in cats” with a “cat-meter” and their age is calculated in cat years. Even physicians from local rehabilitation centers suggest the cafe to their patients, insisting on the therapeutic effect that cats have on special-needs patients.
Seeing the success that the Republic of Cats has, another cat lover from Krasnoyarsk opened a cat cafe called Kis-Kis (which in Russian means “here, kitty kitty”). The cafe uses the same concept, that of enjoying a cup of tea or coffee while petting a cat, but it has a more practical approach. The owner takes stray cats from local animal centers and tries to find them homes among the cafe's customers.
It has been said that stroking a cat and hearing it purr calms you down and relieves your headaches. If you don't want to take on the responsibility of having a house pet and you just want to borrow it now and then, the Cat Cafe is obviously the best place to go.