Earlier this yr I had the pleasure of visiting Cat Metropolis Cafe in Oakland, CA, formally the first cat cafe to open within the US. The cafe opened in 2014 as an extension of the already thriving Cat Metropolis Oaklanda non-profit group started in 2011 and focused notably on rescuing shy, senior and totally different at-risk cats.
On account of Cat Metropolis works primarily with cats that can in every other case be considered “unadoptable” I was excited to get a tour of the cafe and see how they’ve designed the home to accommodate this express inhabitants. Older cats and specific desires cats with the rescue typically hold in foster properties whereas the cats which is perhaps on the cafe are fastidiously monitored to make sure everybody appears to be doing successfully, plus the setting may very well be very successfully Catified. Let’s take a tour!
Upon coming into, friends are greeted with a group of informative indicators explaining how Cat Metropolis is run and outlining the foundations for visiting with cats throughout the cafe — always suggestion for any cat cafe.
The first cat room, generally called the Cat Zoneis a gigantic open home with big dwelling home windows and lots of pure gentle. It’s really a great home for every cats and different folks to hold round, plus people passing by can look inside and see the cats via the day, a great way to draw in potential adopters!
The Cat Zone is filled with unbelievable personalized cat buildings designed to seem like well-known buildings in Oakland. These are literally just a few of the best cat buildings I’ve ever seen. Not solely are they beautiful, nevertheless they carry out very successfully for the cats.
Part of the reason for Cat Metropolis’s success in working with this harder inhabitants of cats is that, over time, they’ve consulted with licensed cat conduct consultants Mikel Delgado and Dilara Goksel Parry from Feline Minds. Mikel and Dilara had been involved in designing the Cat Zone along with the cat buildings, making ideas to help the buildings be additional cat-friendly. As you can see, there are always various openings so cats gained’t actually really feel trapped, and the buildings are solely as tall as could also be merely reached by employees and volunteers.
Ann Dunn, the Founder and Authorities Director of Cat Metropolis and Co-Founding father of the cafe, has good points to say about working with Feline Minds:
“With cats having such a elaborate relationship to their setting, and to 1 one other, working with cat behaviorists on the home design was necessary. Feline Minds shared so many ideas, massive and small, that helped create an space the place the cats actually really feel protected, from high of the hiding buildings to location of the litter bins. We’re so grateful for his or her help!”
Clearly, the cats approve of the design! AND LOOK AT THIS TACO TRUCK!!!
An important part of the Cat Zone is the Quiet Zone, an space that offers a bit additional privateness for cats who is probably feeling overwhelmed by the cafe setting. This small room off to the side of the precept home has a six-room dwelling that cats can entry from the doorway or the once more, as soon as extra stopping the feeling of being trapped. Cats can retreat to this quiet home to take a break or seize a cat nap. Feline Minds advisable that the room have various entrances, so additional holes had been decrease throughout the wall allowing cats to return again and go freely.
As a backdrop for the cat buildings, big vibrant murals by Fuming Gorilla Productions cowl the partitions with images from Oakland and the Bay House along with whimsical cartoon animals.
There are moreover some very inventive Catificaiton Hacks throughout the Cat Zone. Elementary IKEA cabinets have been turned on their sides and used to create these fabulous cat climbing buildings.
They even decrease holes throughout the sides of the cabinets to create pass-throughs for the cats. An IKEA children’s desk and chairs add the correct splash of shade (plus the plastic is easy to clean!)
You enter Cat Metropolis through the exact cafe, the place you can purchase drinks and snacks. The cafe portion of Cat Metropolis has modified a bit since I was there and is now the RAWR Espresso Bar selling all pure raw cat meals and treats made by RAWR together with human refreshments.
As soon as I used to be there you’ll moreover determine up each type of fulfilling souvenirs, along with cat-themed t-shirts, tote baggage, patches and the Hoodcats Calendar from Cat Metropolis Cafe co-founder Adam Myatt, aka The Cat Man of West Oakland.
Should you occur to’re ever in Oakland, please be sure that to stop by Cat Metropolis Cafe for a go to! Really, you should plan a go to merely to go see them!
Website online: cattownoakland.org
First {photograph} by Cathy Niland, Cat Metropolis; all totally different photographs by Kate Benjamin.