A Purrfect Place to Meet a Feline Friend
What it’s like at Vancouver’s famed Catfé
Nestled up on the second floor of the International Market Village in downtown Vancouver lies a serene little café which plays house to a clutter of cats in need of a home. While that might sound sort of sad at first, know that the place is so popular that patrons have been adopting the cats faster than the aptly named “Catfé” can stock them.
Every week the SPCA selects between four to 10 cats, whom they believe would transition well and benefit from what the Catfé offers, and moves them to the temporary home. According to a staff member at the Catfé, the longest a cat has ever stayed with them is two weeks.
The most notable element of the Catfé is its feline-friendly aesthetic. As you come in the front door there’s an area to sign in, get some coffee, tea, or kitty-themed treats, and then you can go inside. The front desk orients you with some rules of etiquette and afterwards you’re welcome to spend the next hour taking in the uniqueness of the venue.
It’s quite literally a haven to all things kitty—from the cat print upholstery on the chairs to a whole wall of shelving dedicated to climbing, resting, and surveying. There are rough surfaces for scratching and nail sharpening and many a room strategically placed for hiding and spying when you get tired of all the attention. The space is very calming. Regardless of whatever past homes these cats came from, none of them seem distressed here.
The space is clean and modern, with high ceilings and exposed industrial piping that gives the room an open, urban feel. There are floor to ceiling windows on two sides of the room with a decent view of BC place, and on the far wall, a floor to ceiling structure filled with open compartments for the cats. There’s even a TV at eye level, not for humans but for cats, and during my visit it was playing Finding Nemo.
According to staff, the Catfé offers something very different from a typical shelter. It provides the cats an opportunity to thrive in a social environment, which in turn gives potential new owners the chance to see each cat’s true personality, as well as a whole hour to engage with them and bond. People want to see how the cats are outside of the cages.
The experience also prompted the theory of how a Catfé could be applied to other animals. Do shelters really work in the way they are currently operated? Are we doing a disservice to so many animals in need of a home, or is this a new groundbreaking concept in the way we help pets find a home? The warming environment doesn’t work for everyone, and not every cat will feel more secure without a cage after abuse or trauma, but the social aspect is truly unique.
It’s an experience worth having. Instead of going to any old coffee shop downtown, this one-of-a-kind place is worth checking out. It’s the purrfect place to make new four-legged friends—just don’t expect them to still be there when you visit the second time around.
