Uruguayan cat cafe offers place to interact with felines

The Art Cat Cafe Adrianuzca in the Uruguayan resort city of Punta del Este offers visitors a place to get a cup of coffee and spend some time bonding with the resident felines.

The cafe is a business that tries to help cats find a forever home, Art Cat Cafe Adrianuzca manager Adriana Olaza told Efe news, adding that all the cats were available for adoption.

"All the kitties we have here undergo a series of procedures, where they are vaccinated, treated for parasites and fixed. In addition, if they are a year old, we test them for FIV and feline leukemia," Olaza said.

The cafe, which is naturally decorated in a feline motif, is home to nine cats, who do not have access to the kitchen.

"The kitchen is totally separate from the area where the animals are," Olaza said, adding that patrons can eat in a cat-free area or with the cats.

The cats also have the choice of interacting with humans or being alone, and have "a separate door that people can't go through" and leads to an enclosed yard where they can "feel secure and do what they want without being bothered", said Olaza.

Since opening in mid-December, three cats have found homes and "one is in the process" of being adopted, Olaza said.

"Adoptions are done via our website. We verify that the information is true and send them a form, which is pretty strict, for the adoption," Olaza said, noting that once a cat has been adopted, "there is a follow-up in the new home".

Art Cat Cafe Adrianuzca is the first cat cafe in Uruguay and is modelled after similar establishments in Mexico City, Madrid, Paris and Tokyo. The Japanese capital, in fact, is home to about 30 cat cafes.

--IANS

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