Myeong-dong Cat Café

I have heard there are about three or four cat cafés in the Myeong-dong area, but I am going to call this one the Myeong-dong Cat Café because I can't read hangul to save my life and it seems to be the biggest one. It's the one with the guy dressed up in a cat suit advertising it. The one with the yellow sign. Yeah, that one.

 I went shopping with my lovely friend Chandra and after shopping for Christmas presents, shoes and random stuff, we decided it was time for some kitty cuddles and a hot drink. I have to say, I have never heard of a place like this but I am SO happy it exists because people who can't have a pet, can come and get their kitty fix for a low price. The Myeong-dong cat café has around 25 cats for you to pet and play with, and I have to say they do take really good care of them. The place is extremely clean and neat and all the cats seem healthy and happy. They have plenty of room and toys to play with and none of them seemed angry or aggressive. 

We walked in and we were told to remove or shoes, they have a shelf for you to put your shoes in and they give you very comfortable plastic slippers to wear while being in there. They also gave us a lot of antibacterial to disinfect our hands and forearms. After that, we were guided to the cashier, where we ordered our drinks. The fee for the Cat café is 8,000KRW and it includes one drink of your choice and unlimited kitty snuggles. I, of course, ordered a hot chocolate and Chandra had a jasmine tea. The girl said to be gentle with the cats, and that blue collar meant "sick" and yellow collar meant "baby". I didn't see blue or yellow collars on any of the cats, so they were probably hiding in the back.

 We found a table and put our shopping bags away, on some shelving they have under the seats, and the cats were really curious about one of my bags. I spent a lot of time getting cats out of my purchases. It was hilarious. There was absolutely no food in my bags, so I don't know what they were so interested in. Chandra said they were just saying "Girl, those boots you just got are FABULOUS!". We laughed so hard. I really like having a friend who loves animals as much as I do.

My hot chocolate was delicious. Chandra said  her tea was really good too. While we drank, this lovely guy (or girl) took possession of my jacket and went to sleep on it. I felt really bad moving him/her from it when I had to go.

 This guy, we called "Business Cat". Business Cat was creepy. He kept staring at us from up there and thought he was going to jump on our drinks. He reminded me of the Oatmeal's Bob and Bob.

 There were a lot of other kitties, most of them were asleep. I was pleased to see that the crowd and the people coming in and out didn't bother them at all. I think these kind of cafés are a wonderful thing. All the cats have their little cat houses and they potty is in the back of the room where you can't see it and it's great because it gives cats a home, and it is a self-sustained business. I don't know if something like this would work in another country. Most people I know would think it's lame or wouldn't pay to go play with cats. But I am happy to do it.

 I really was happy playing with the cats. I also found out there is a dog café, and I'm visiting that one with my husband. It's going to be tough, since we miss Chelsea so much, but I'm having lick-attack withdrawals so it's going to happen soon

Overall, it was an amazing experience and I definitely plan on going back. The place is clean and they make sure that you are clean too. It's so funny that they have a roomba going around the place and the cats either chase it or wont move for it, but it picks up all the cat hair. Can't wait to see what the dog café is like!

More Information:
KoreaYe: http://koreaye.com/2012/11/cat-cafe.html
Closest Subway Station: Myeong-dong, Line 4 - Exit 6
Foreigner Friendly

Thank you for reading!

Love,

Zayda