Leave it to Japan to come up with all the good ideas.  Godzilla, sushi, reliable cars, Kanji (OK technically Chinese characters but who’s counting), and now cat cafés.  Around 100 cat cafés that invite people to drink coffee in the relaxing company of friendly cats dot the small island nation.  There are toys to play with the cats in the cafe, guests can bring their own, or you can choose to surf the web or read a book in the company of a feline companion.  Check out some pictures of The Cat Café Neko no Mise.

The trend for cat cafés in Japan is so popular that some have sprouted up that cater to particular type of cats, such as black cats, fat cats or rare breeds.  These special cafés with furry feline friends are quite popular as dating spots.  Keeping pets in the city can be challenging as well.  Cat aren’t so tough but try sharing 450 square feet with another human, a cat, and a litter box.  In lieu of that kind of potential horror, an occasional visit to a cat café is a good way to satisfy the urge for feline companionship.  I’m just annoyed that I didn’t think of this earlier.  Who knew I could have been charging people to come over and get cat hair in their coffee.

The city of Tokyo went so far as to debate the ordinance regarding businesses displaying animals.  Those businesses must close their doors at 8 pm in order for the cats to get a longer rest.   Because cat café owners generally provide their feline residents a high quality of life, the city of Tokyo decided to make a special exception for the cat cafés which are now allowed to stay open until 10pm.

Check out some more pictures below.  Squee!!!!