We had come to the small café in East London to enjoy a quintessentially British treat. There was tea in fancy china. Scones and finger sandwiches sat on a tiered cake stand. But the café had something even better—a dozen cats to play with.
At Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium, its resident felines are free to roam about. They can leap on wall shelves and rope bridges, play with toys, or nap in baskets. It’s the U.K.’s first cat café, and it’s one of the many animal cafés that have popped up all over Europe, Asia, and the U.S. in recent years. The animals—cats, dogs, owls, rabbits, hedgehogs, and even snakes—are showered with love and attention, while their human visitors get to unwind in the company of their (mostly) furry friends.
We went to the small café in East London for a very British treat. There was tea in fancy cups. Scones and finger sandwiches sat on a tiered cake stand. But the café had something even better than food. There were a dozen cats to play with.
Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium is the U.K.’s first cat café. The cats that call the cafe home are free to explore. They can leap on wall shelves and rope bridges, play with toys, or nap in baskets. It’s one of the many animal cafés that have recently opened across Europe, Asia, and the U.S. There are cafés that let visitors play with cats, dogs, owls, rabbits, hedgehogs, and even snakes. Meanwhile, human visitors get to enjoy the company of their (mostly) furry friends.