Cat cafe craze hits Toronto
Posted May 2, 2014 5:40 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The cat cafe craze is growing globally and the city of Toronto is about to get in on the feline frenzy. Two cat cafes are in the works for the city.
Jennifer Morozowich is the owner of Kitty Cat Cafe which is set to open in the west end in September. She tells 680News it’s not going to be a crazy cat lady destination.
“I see pretty much anyone but the one commonality is people who actually love cats,” Morozowich said.
Toronto Public Health has some strict guidelines that must be followed which means there has to be a separate food/beverage zone and a separate cat common area. Morozowich says the cafe will also have a sanitization area where people can wash their hands for their own safety and health of the animals. She’s working with a shelter hygienist specialist to make sure all health regulations are met. She’s also partnered with the Dundas West Animal Hospital and the Royal Canin Shelter program.
The cats for Kitty Cat Cafe will be provided by T.E.A.M. Cat Rescue and will be available for adoption. Morozowich says there will be a series of events including movie nights, retro board game nights, litter-ature nights in which kids would read books to cats, mother-daughter Sunday brunches and knitting classes.
“I have never not had a cat in my life. It’s something I felt was an opportunity to bring awareness to Toronto’s homeless cat population, to help the cats out and to create an environment for people to relax, enjoy their friends, do some fun events and learn something new about cats,” Morozowich explained.
Kitty Cat Cafe has a crowdfunding campaign underway to help kickstart the business. Morozowich is hoping to open near the University of Toronto but hasn’t chosen a specific location as of yet.
“We’re not in this for the notoriety. We’re in this for the cats,” she said.
Cat cafes are hugely popular overseas with more than 150 locations in Japan alone. It’s believed the very first cat cafe opened in the late 1990’s in Taiwan. The first North American locations just recently opened in Montreal, Vancouver and New York City.
