It took me a while to write this opening paragraph, because my cat Beebles was determined to stop me. Every time I sat down at my desk, the fluffy tortoiseshell beast would suddenly leap up and start walking all over the keyboard. I finally managed to get her to sit on the windowsill instead, but it took a while (and the desk is now covered in cat hair). Maybe she knew that I was trying to write some potential rivals - the cats who will entertain visitors in Dublin's first cat café, which is due to open next year.
If you've never heard of cat cafés, they are literally cafés with cats in them. You sit there and have a cup of tea and a bun while cats stroll about you. Which, if you love cats (and I do), sounds pretty fun to me. The phenomenon has become huge in parts of Asia over the last decade or so, and has spread to Europe in recent years. And now Ireland is getting in on the feline action. Would-be cat café mogul Georgina O'Neill told the Daily Edge that she plans to open the café next September, featuring cats sourced from animal charities, which the café will then support.
But if you were hoping to pop in and pet a Persian in your city centre lunch break, prepare to be disappointed, as Georgina will probably find a space in Lucan, rightly pointing out that city centre locations would be too small and not particularly safe for the kitties.
Anyway, despite the fact that I have a cat of my own and seem to spend much of my life removing cat hair from various garments/bed covers/items of furniture, I like the idea of the Crazy Cats Café. I'm only sorry that as someone who lives in Dublin 3 I am unlikely to be dropping in for a cake and a gawp at the feline staffers. And I can totally understand the appeal to those who don't have a pet of their own. There are plenty of people who would love to have cats and either have allergies, or live in a place that doesn't allow pets, or simply can't afford it (I speak from experience: vet bills and special cat food does add up).
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London's Lady Dinah's Cat EmporiumWhen my beloved old cat JuJu died in March, the house seemed all wrong until Beebles arrived six months later. So I understand how a cat café would give anyone who wants a small, imperious animal in their life a little reminder of how strangely consoling a cat wandering around the place can be.
So what do you think? Do you like the idea of being joined over your latté by a ginger fur ball? Or do you think animals and cafés just shouldn't mix?
