Singapore's 4 Cat Cafes

The first time I heard about cat cafes was months ago when I watched 'Must Love Cats in Japan' (Watch on YouTube).

As I really LOVE cats, I directly got excited! I love the idea that people who can't have cats at home can spend time with cats in cafes. And when the cats are adopted from a shelter, it's even better: less cats in shelters, more cats in cozy cafes where they can play and get lots of attention. Sounds great, doesn't it?

Got to know more...

However, there are some potential risks and problems associated with cat cafes if they are not managed properly, especially in countries with limited animal welfare regulations. See this article for more information.

So I started to do some "research". Is the cat cafe environment actually good for cats? Do the owners actually care about their cats or are the cats purely being used to generate profit? What if the cats get older and get health problems? Will the cafe owner still take care of them?

Whether I still like the idea of cat cafes or not, I don't know, but I will visit one of the four cat cafes in Singapore soon to get to know more. So my "research" started with the Singaporean cat cafes.

Out of the four cat cafes in Singapore, The Company of Cats is definitely the one that I prefer, and the second is Neko no Niwa. Because these two cafes seem to care most about their cats' health.

Singapore's Cat Cafes

There are currently four cafe cafes in Singapore: Neko No Niwa, The Cat Cafe, Meowi Cat Cafe and The Company of Cats. Neko No Niwa was established in December 2013, followed by The Cat Cafe in June 2014, and The Company of Cats and Meowi Cat Cafe in August 2014.

The four cat cafes in Singapore are located less than 3 km away from each other

Their Opening Hours

The Cat Cafe and Meomi Cafe are opened daily. The Cat Cafe is open for 79 hours a week, Meomi Cat Cafe 77 hours a week.

That's so many hours!

Wouldn't it be better for the cats to have at least one day of rest? One day without (unknown) people who want to play with them?

The Company of Cats and Neko no Niwa both give their cats one day "off". The Company of Cats is open for 62 hours a week. Neko no Niwa for 68 hours a week.

Their fees

All cat cafes have similar fees, though The Cat Cafe is cheaper for people who want to stay for more than 1 hour, since they don't charge you for additional hours. The Company of Cats is the only one with a special weekdays rate.

Their cats

The number of cats per cafe varies from 7 to 14 cats. The good news is that three of the cafes adopted their cats. Only Meomi Cat Cafe has mostly pedigree cats that are most probably bought at a shop (not completely sure though).

*The Cat Café previously had 15 cats, but 1 male cat (Espresso) was recently adopted by a patron.
M = Male, F = Female 
**The others are pedigree and most probably bought at a shop.

Their Rules

Three of the cat cafes have published their rules online, only Meomi Cat Cafe hasn't.

Their Business Principles

I don't know about Meomi Cat Cafe's principles, but it's good to know that the other three support the idea of 'adopt, don't buy'.

Neko no Niwa:

"Adopt, don't buy"

Aims to share knowledge on cats & make people know that they are not "dirty, noisy and aloof".

The Cat Cafe:

Supports the adoption of cats instead of buying at a shop. Some of the cafe cats can even be adopted by patrons, so that the Cat Cafe can rescue other cats.

The Company of Cats:

Strong believers in adopt, don't buy.

Want to inspire better understanding and love for cats and help raise awareness for animal welfare in Singapore.

The Meomi Cat Cafe:

Don't know...

The Cafe Owner & Staff's Expertise

There is little known about the experience of the owners and training of employees of the cat cafes. Only Neko no Niwa mentions on their website that the owners, Sam and Sue, have more than 15 years of 'cat care experience'.

Also, there is little known about how the cats are selected by the cafe owners. Only Neko no Niwa mentions that they only select cats with suitable personalities (lots of human attention, playing and company of other cats).

The Reviews (as per March 2015)

I have looked at the reviews on Tripadvisor and Facebook, and also browsed for other reviews. I did not come across any major concerning issues.

Tripadvisor:

Neko no Niwa:

4.5 stars 

(26 very good to excellent, 1 average, 2 terrible)

The Cat Cafe:

4 stars 
(9 very good to excellent, 2 average, 1 poor)

The Company of Cats:

4 stars 
(5 very good to excellent, 3 average)

The Meomi Cat Cafe:

N/A

Facebook:

4.9 stars (88 reviews)

Especially positive reviews about the staff and owners.

4.6 stars (30 reviews)

4.5 stars (555 reviews)

Very positive reviews about the owners, hygiene and health of cats. 

Some complaints about attitude of the staff.

4.5 stars (169 reviews)

Generally positive, but some concerning complaints: 

cats are fed too much by customers, young children are  accepted in the cafe, not enough resting spots, cats seem tired.

A few more things...

• None of the four Singaporean Cat Cafes has published how many customers are allowed at be at the cafe at the same time, neither do they provide information about their staff.
• There was a 5th Cat Cafe in Singapore, Cuddles Cat Cafe, but this one closed down after investigation on the death of several cats. Read more here.