Caturday Cafe — Meow
I never thought or had the inclination to visit a cat cafe. But when you’re in Bangkok and the world seems to open before you like a can of tuna (cat…tuna-not funny. I had to try!?) then you go for it. A colleague in the foreign language department told me I had to visit this place and experience it for myself. There is also a rumor of a hedgehog cafe but I still haven’t found one in Bangkok. However, there is one in Chiang Mai (North Thailand). Next time I teach in Thailand it will be in North Thailand so I’ll for sure be having food and coffee with hedgehogs.
Anyway, I took the BTS train to Ratchatewi BTS station, disembarked, walked down the stairs to the street and immediately entered a narrow alleyway where I found the Caturday Cafe. The front of the business was adorned with cute cat related items and there was short wait to eat inside. I wrote my name on the waiting list, sat outside in a comfortable lounge chair and watched the stray cats stroll around the parking lot. I peeked through the window to see if there were cats inside because I thought this might be the extent of the cat interaction. I was wrong, again. I stopped counting at twenty five cats that were lounging along cat walkways, on tables, under tables, in patrons laps, on chairs; they were everywhere.
My name was called by the friendly hostess, I entered a small foyer where I had to remove my shoes and wash my hands before entering the restaurant. I was escorted inside, then sat on a cushion on the floor and the cats came to meet me. They crossed a wide spectrum of breeds and colors and they were very docile. The children in the restaurant were out of their minds with excitement and the positive energy was flowing. The one aspect that stood out to me the most was the restaurant was immaculate and there were no foul smells.
I ordered a rainbow multi-layered crepe cake and passion fruit smoothie. The food was probably one of the highlights of my trip! The passionfruit smoothie was freshly made and the rainbow crepe cake was spectacular.
I have to admit I am not a big animal lover. This experience pushed the limits for me and you know what; I totally had a blast. The food was exceptional and while I noshed, there was one cat chilling on top of my table, one in my lap and another resting underneath my table. Did I learn anything about myself? I made peace with the cat species.