While holidaying in Tokyo a few years ago, we had the quintessential Japanese experience of visiting a few pet cafes. Back then, we visited a cat café, a hedgehog café and an owl cafe.
Having had fond memories of that experience, we sought to re-create the experience. A quick Google search of animal-related experiences in Melbourne provided the usual options of zoo, aquarium, aviary or farm visits.
Then we chanced upon 2 cat cafes located in and near the Melbourne CBD – Cashmere Cat Café in the CBD and Cat Café Melbourne in Carlton.
Cashmere Cat Café in the Melbourne CBD
We opted to visit Cashmere Cat Café. Whilst it’s located within the CBD, once you’re in the premises, you feel as though you have been transported into a different world – a peaceful oasis far removed from the bustling streets outside. We could not hear any traffic noise while we were in the premises.
The cats are housed in a huge lounge space which is filled with all sorts of kitty toys, hide-outs, furniture and climbing spots. It’s a clean and calm space that has natural light. Their website states that the premises are over 280 square metres, and it certainly felt very spacious.
There are ample spaces for visitors to sit, either on comfortable chairs or on the clean floor.
It is a requirement that all visitors take off their shoes when entering the premises. There is an option to wear slippers provided by the cat café, but we opted to walk around with just our socks on. It did mean that we picked up some cat fur on our socks as a special souvenir! Lockers are also provided for you to leave your belongings safetly stored away, so that you can focus on enjoying your experience with the cats.
We lost count of how many cats we patted or cuddled. Our estimate is that there were about 25 to 30 cats, in various coat colours and breed – ragdolls, British short-haired, Bengal, Siamese, Burmese, Persian, Russian Blue, Ragamuffin, domestic long-haired and domestic short-haired cats.
Some of the cats were perched high up in the room, while others strolled around. Some were sleeping and some were happy to observe us from a safe distance. There was an adorable tabby cat which was an absolute attention-seeker. He/she curled up on our laps and purred a lot while being patted.
Various cats’ pictures and names are displayed on the walls, to help you to identify them. Their website also provides information about each cat – name, birthday, breed and personality. We had fun trying to identify each cat which we interacted with.
Food & Beverage Options at Cashmere Cat Café
Cat Café Treats For Kitties:
There is an option to purchase kitty treats in limited quantities for their 1 pm and 3 pm sessions, to avoid over-feeding the cats. We missed that window period, which was a pity as we are sure that we could have attracted the attention of more kitties if we had been armed with treats!
Cat Café Treats For Humans:
Japanese cat cafes do not always offer food and beverage. However, the Cashmere Cat Café in Melbourne offers a selection of light pastries and drinks including barista-made coffee, which is a nice touch.
Souvenirs from Cashmere Cat Café
At the end of the visit, we were provided with a selection of stickers to commemorate our visit, limited to one free sticker per person. There is also a small selection of merchandise available for purchase, eg. keyrings.
Our Thoughts About Cashmere Cat Café
All in all, it was an unforgettable experience which allowed us to unwind in a relaxing calm space. We could sense that the cats are loved and very well cared for. The cat cafe is a very clean environment, amazingly, without any litter smells!
