2018-10-01_Reader_s_Digest_AUNZ

October• 2018 | 81

READER’S DIGEST

this happens, they’ll be homed by a

member of staff or one of the café’s

regularcustomers.Oncethey’repart

of the cat family, they’ll always be

looked after.

TODAY,THETROUPEISBUSY

entertaining its latest visitors. “We’ve

comebecausewelovecatsandwe

thoughtitwouldbeinterestingtosee

theconcept,”saysMarjorieRichard,

whoisvisitingPariswithherdaugh-

ter and enjoying a coffee and the

companyofaSiamese.

“It’snicethatitmakespeoplespeak

to each other,” she adds, highlighting

anotherkeyfeatureofcatcafés:they

bringpeopletogether.

AsFlorentputsit,“Youhearalot

oflanguageshere–peoplecome

fromallovertheworld.Butwhile

they’re here, they’re all part of a sin-

gle community. Everyone comes for

the cats.”

With their sense of communion

andatmosphereofhushedrever-

ence, is it going too far to suggest that

cat cafés have something in common

with church? Maybe not. After all,

the Egyptians worshipped a cat god-

dess. Just ask Yoda, he is a Sphynx

after all.

know me and wanted guarantees
thatthecatswouldbewelltreated,”
she says. “hey left reassured.”
hewellbeingoftheanimalsisof
primary importance. As at Chat Mal-
lowsCafé,strictrulesareenforcedat
LeCafédesChats.Customersmust
use hand sanitiser when they arrive
andtheymustobeythreecardinal
rules:don’twakethecatsifthey’re
asleep, don’t feed them and don’t use
lash photography.
hecatsarechosenfortheirsocia-
bility,butimportantlytheyhavetheir
ownroom–wherecustomersarenot
allowed–iftheywantsolitude.
AllthecatsatLeCafédesChats
arerescuecats,andeachhasastory.
Lucky,forinstance,isagreyChar-
treuxwhowasfoundinaparkinglot.
Manager Florent L’Hommée thinks
hewasperhapsabandonedbyanil-
legalbreeder,becausehismovement
isnotquiteright.Luckylovesclimb-
ing, so he’s in his element at Le Café
desChatswithitsmanyhigh-level
shelves that allow the cats to survey
their domain.
Butsometimesacatcangettiredof
lifeatthecafé.“You’llnoticeachange
intheirmood,andthey’llstart
sleeping more,” says Florent. When

MAKES SENSE

A bank is a place that will lend you money,

if you can prove that you don’t need it.

BOB HOPE