A cat behaviourist, Rebecca Ho, sent a letter to the press on Dec. 18, 2014, decrying the practices of cat cafes.

She had written to argue that the commercialisation of cat cafes is detrimental to the felines as cats require a lot of time away from humans but are subjected to an unnatural environment where they are forced to interact with people.

Ho then insinuated that local animal lovers are displaying hypocrisy as they do not openly question the practices of cat cafes in Singapore but instead embrace them.

In response, here is a letter put out by the owners of two cat cafes in Singapore, The Company of Cats and Cat Cafe Neko no Niwa, to explain their position:

While we cannot speak on behalf of all such businesses, as the respective owners of cat cafes Neko no Niwa and The Company of Cats, we are disappointed that Ms Rebecca Ho, who we have previously worked with on animal welfare and cat care initiatives, has made certain unfair statements about cat cafes in her letter.

In an interview with Channel News Asia, Vice President of Cat Welfare Society, Veron Lau, acknowledged that it is possible for cat cafes to find a balance between cat welfare and business objectives if the owners have the cats’ welfare at heart.

We started our businesses not just to provide a good, safe home for rescued cats, but also in the hope that providing a welcoming environment for people to hang out with cats would inspire more understanding and love for felines, and raise awareness of cat welfare.

Adopted, not bought

All the cats at both The Company of Cats and Neko no Niwa were adopted from situations that were less than ideal -- some were in shelters, some in multi-cat foster homes where they had to live in cages due to space constraints, and some were rescued off the streets.

We nursed many of them back from poor health, spending tens of thousands of dollars on medical fees, grooming and rehabilitation. Not a single cat was purchased, or given up on. Our cats were carefully selected for their personalities and friendliness towards humans as we wanted them to be happy in their new "lifestyle" -- they were given a period to settle into their new environments before we opened for business.

We find it baffling for Ms Ho to compare cats -- which have been domesticated for over 4,000 years -- in cafés, to wild animals (like dolphins) in captivity. Neither do we agree with the comparison of cat cafes to shelters and the homes of cat hoarders.

Different from shelters

We are absolutely dedicated to the well-being of our cats, and unlike a shelter where limited manpower restricts the amount of individual attention each cat gets, our staff and ourselves are able to observe our cats throughout the day, which makes it much more likely for us to quickly detect if anything is amiss.

We have both given up our full-time jobs to be the primary caretakers at our respective cafes, are committed to caring for these cats for the rest of their lives, and have plans in place to ensure that they are taken care of when they retire from the café or if the business should fail.

Cats are protected

Both Neko no Niwa and The Company of Cats have high perches and separate areas for the cats to retreat to if they wish to be away from human company, and the latter also has a second floor that only cats and staff can access. Both cafes are closed one day a week in order for the cats to be groomed, have a break from the crowds and for regular maintenance of the premises. We welcome Ms Ho to drop by to witness how the cats are still delighted to welcome human company on those days.

AVA has stringent regulations that all cat cafes must adhere to, and the silver lining of the recent debacle concerning one errant cat café owner is that it has proven that one cannot run such a business without the right experience and intentions. Providing a home to homeless cats and promoting pet welfare and adoption are the main driving forces behind Neko no Niwa and The Company of Cats.

Members of the public with questions are welcome to contact us, we will be happy to address any concerns they may have.

Tay Shuyun

Owner, The Company of Cats

Tan Sue Lynn

Owner, Cat Cafe Neko no Niwa

Top photo via The Company of Cats Facebook

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