One thing that I’ve been seeing on Instagram is the cafe culture of Thailand. Combine that with Rebecca’s love of cats and we ended up at Caturday Cafe in Bangkok. Caturday is bursting with cuteness from the darling cats, to the decor, to the silly menu. I particularly liked the cute and silly cat souvenirs! However cute, the experience left me a tiny bit concerned for the cats, who often avoided human contact until someone had a treat for them. Let me tell you about the experience!
According to Wikipedia, Cat Cafes originated in Taiwan and truly blossomed in popularity in Japan. They have spread across the globe with many as close as Los Angeles. I still think of it as a particularly Japanese trend, but I knew Thailand would have some darling locations.
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Caturday Cat Cafe
Overwhelming Cuteness
Caturday is a cat cafe tucked away out of the main tourist area. We found it by researching where we needed to get off the airport tram and it was only a few blocks away. It was a tiny bit tricky to find and a little awkward with our luggage in tow but overall was not too bad. When we arrived, we added our name to the list and had to wait for about 10 or 15 minutes. I think this is a popular spot for school girls and boys to visit after class! There was a little antechamber before entering, where we stored our shoes, luggage, and washed our hands. We were also asked not to pick up the cats.
Upon entering, a restaurant host holding a fluffy cat showed us to a low table in the middle of the room. The cute decor was everywhere and there were jungle-gym like structures overhead for the cats to enjoy. On one of the walls is a darling mural of cartoon kitties. On another wall, there are formal life-like portraits of the cats as royalty. Pastel colors were a theme. But surprisingly, it was a single, rectangular room with a lot of people per square foot. Even the menu was cute with little cartoon kitties on each colorful page.
The cats themselves were as cute as the decor. I apologize for not knowing the names of these breeds. There were the cats with the smooshed faces, the ones with the curled ears and cuffed ears, there were extra-fluffy cats and another cat with shorter legs. These were luxury cats that I had only ever seen on Instagram.
At a Glance:
- Rating: 2 (out of 4) stars, likely to pass the next time I am in Bangkok
- Intensity: Casual clothes
- Location: the nearest city is Ao Nang
- Cost: Whatever you decide to purchase at the cafe
- Restrooms: Unknown
- Timing: 1 – 2 hours
Highlights:
- Super cute
- Super cute cats
- And super cute souvenirs
Lowlights:
- I am concerned the cats were miserable
- It was very loud
- Cats were food motivated
- Cats were chosen for their looks
Pack this for a tropical Trip to Thailand!
How was the food?
There were not many vegan items on the menu, so we settled on a smoothie and french fries without any cheese topping. The smoothie was decent and came in a large glass that had cat faces inside fruits. I fell in love with this cup and bought one for myself. I have to say, the Caturday merch was ridiculous and amazing – this was a great option for any remaining souvenirs. Anyways, the french fries were completely forgettable, but I suppose we were not there for the food, but rather the cats.
Are the cats okay?
When we arrived, there was a cat sitting on our table, who quickly disappeared when we arrived. Most of the cats kept their distance by going on the structure above or found a quiet corner. There were not many movements of the cats, only people. A super cute orange smooshed-faced cat (Crookshanks, is that you?!) came nearby at times. He mainly tried to stay under a low shelf/bar that people were eating. Whenever people would try to pet the cat, it would deftly avoid the touch. It was nearly comedic how it would create U-shape with its body to avoid being pet. But watching this one cat, I began to worry if the cats were doing okay.
Other cats remained above the human reach in the structures above. Even then it was quite loud with people chatting constantly. It was not until someone got close enough with a purchased squeeze tube treat that the cats might move a little closer. The fact that we would have to purchase the treats in order to interact with the cats also put me at unease.
When purchasing merchandise (no treats this time), we spoke with a woman who might be an owner. Some of the merchandise was based on real cats. We asked about one cat that was prominently displayed in a royal portrait. She said he was in another location and spoke about all the cats rotate and take breaks. Although that is considerate for the cats, I know that I wouldn’t be comfortable in a space with ever-rotating people, loud talking, and people walking around constantly. One thing I took away from this BBC article is that cats crave a stable environment. But perhaps they chose cats that enjoy a social atmosphere.
Overall Thoughts: Caturday Cat Cafe
The Caturday Cat Cafe was just about as cute as they come in terms of cat cafes. The decor was cute, the merchandise was cute, and the cats were cute. It was fun to experience but felt a bit unnatural for the cats. We visited the Lanta Animal Shelter on Koh Lanta a few days before and loved the experience without the luxury kinds of cats. It was also focused on adoption, which Caturday was not. A bit of a different message, but interesting to compare and contrast our experience.
Would you go to a cat cafe? Or, if you’ve already gone to one, what were your thoughts? Please let me know in the comments because I am curious about how people feel about these kinds of animal experiences.
Happy Travels,
Hanna
