There seems to be a growing trend for cat (or dog) cafés going around, and one such venue recently opened its doors in Katipunan—the Uchi No Neko Café, roughly translating to “House of Cat.” Similar to the Barkin’ Blends Dog Café nearby, the café offers the unique dining experience of sharing the space with adorable animal companions; for this venue, they have cats as opposed to Barkin’ Blends’ dogs. Located near National Book Store, right atop Sango, the Uchi No Neko Café invites patrons to kick off their shoes (kicking unnecessary, removal of shoes mandatory), enjoy a Japanese meal or some coffee, and spend quality time with little feline furballs of fun.

The café’s logo across the back wall of the room

Uchi No Neko was founded by Cha Laxamana, who has been helping  rescue hundreds of cats and dogs for over five years. She knows about the realities that stray and unwanted animals experience, and continues to ensure that these animals are able to have a loving home.

Many of the café’s resident kittens are from PART, or the Philippine Animal Rescue Team, while the others are from private owners. All the cats you’ll see roaming the premises are up for adoption, and prospective owners are put through a process to adopt the kitties to ensure that each cat goes to a good, loving home. In the café themselves, the many cats are rotated out in batches of about 15 cats at a time, in roughly 2 hour shifts, so as to provide them with enough time to rest after spending time with the customers. The cats have been taken care of medically: neutered or spayed, and vaccinated for common health problems.

Upon your visit to this fine café, you’ll be requested to remove your shoes, and if necessary, purchase a pair of socks. I suppose it’s a combination of concern for your shoelaces (or shoes, in general) and your feet. You’ll also be asked to sign a waiver, detailing the house rules and responsibilities of the guests, so as to understand the rules of the café. After this, everyone can have a great time.

The café itself is quaint and inviting, decorated with a friendly and cute cat theme. There are photos of the café’s cats hung on the walls, cat-shaped chairs, and a large shelf is even adorned with various feline-themed paraphernalia in the play area.

For P300, you’re entitled to a bento meal, house blend iced tea, and two hours of bonding with the cats. The menu offers a variety of bento meals, from chicken to pork to vegetarian meals. One of the bestsellers, the Japa Chicken, was quite tasty, and it’s served with your choice of rice or mashed potatoes. The Chicken Teriyaki was a great meal as well, although nothing to rave over.

My friends and I agreed that while tasty, the meals were unfortunately small and may not leave you feeling full. Although this may be disappointing, the true heart of the experience lies with the many feline friends you’ll be spending your time with.

One of the adorable pieces of art on the walls of the café

The café is equipped with a play area dedicated for the cats. It’s carpeted with faux grass dotted with pet beds and various cat toys. There’s also a large climbable fixture, definitely for the cats to reach the, dare I say it, catwalk affixed upon the top of the entire room. Though I was unable to witness the cats actually use this, I can imagine the cats prowling around above the patrons’ heads, going about their business and looking to jump down on a toy mouse on the ground. There are also a couple of low-hanging swings for patrons to sit on while they play with the cats. Additionally, there’s a shelf adorned with various adorable cat decors, complete with ledges for the cats to climb all the way up to the aforementioned catwalk. The play area opens up to a small greenhouse containing their pet bowls and litter box. This area is positioned right against the large windows opening up to Katipunan, giving the cats a view of Ateneo, and passersby glimpse of the interior of the café. In addition to this play area, two other ‘grass’ carpeted areas are placed in other parts of the café: One contains a large chair, perfect for taking a nap or a nice picture to mark the occasion; the other contains a large hammock, a great place to take the load off after a rousing play session with the cats.

The cats themselves are absolutely lovely. Unfortunately, at the time of visiting, many of them were resting, and you’re very well urged to leave them be because they deserve some sleep. The cats are free to roam the café—bar the kitchen, of course—and they do use this freedom. They crawl under your feet as you eat, around the hammock as you rock quietly, and above your head, on the catwalk, as you hang around.

One of the cats, Bush, was particularly disinterested in anyone, strutting right past anyone petting him to approach someone else, only to leave them hanging as well—that is, unless they have food. As my friends and I sat down to eat, Bush took the fourth seat at our table. He pulled the most adorable face he could, meowing out loud and leaning in towards my companion’s bento. As adorable as it was, the manager had to pull him away to keep him from eating the food.

Bush joining us for a meal

Another cat, Lollipop, made herself comfortable by the feet of my companion as we ate our bento meals. She refused to move, even after we had finished our food and wandered off to see the other cats, and just sat there, looking absolutely demure. One of the cats was excited and energized, chasing after a toy mouse and darting around the play area. The mouse-ball toy seemed to be her favorite, as she went absolutely bonkers over it. As she crazed over the rodent-themed toys, her fellow cat, Sara, stared oh-so-judgingly at her, completely disinterested in the toys herself. She seemed tired herself as she fell asleep next to the cat bed, which contained another cat wriggling around in its sleep in the most adorable way.

Catnap time!

The whole experience at the cat café was extremely laid-back and relaxing. After a week of stressful deadlines and requirements, it was a great way to unwind and release a lot of tension. What better way to forget your worries than to watch a cat pounce across the room to attack a fake mouse? The cats are very therapeutic with their adorable meows and purrs, impressive jumping and pouncing abilities, and uncanny ability to make your heart melt at the simplest tumble or turn, even in their sleep, you can’t help but feel so much lighter after admiring and playing with these cats. The café serves good food, a very mellow ambiance, and a great place to bond with your friends or that special someone. I recommend a visit to the Uchi No Neko Café if you’re looking to have a unique afternoon experience. Unless you’re allergic to cats, you’re sure to enjoy the very relaxing experience in store for you, and all it takes is a quick trip down Katipunan (and up some stairs) to start up your feline fun times!

Lollipop is waiting for another pair of socks to cuddle up to

Uchi No Neko Café is open from Monday to Sunday, 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM. It is located at 299 Katipunan Avenue, 1105 Quezon City, next to National Book Store.

Sources

All photos included in this article were taken by the writer.