My heart melted when I opened the door to a whole new world beyond: the room was warm, full of life, color, and adorable fluffy felines bathing in sunlight coming in from the windows. Cats were taking their afternoon naps, some younglings were playing with humans and keeping them company, and a few were just chilling by the window sill, watching the outside world peacefully. At that moment I knew, “That's it, my life has been complete. This is heaven and I can die peacefully now.”
Cat cafes became a huge hit in Japan in 2005. Its popularity led to other types of animal cafes to open later on. From cat cafes, dog cafes, owl cafes, to goat cafes, Tokyo, Japan has it all.
The U.S.’s first cat cafe, Cat Town Cafe, opened in Oakland, California in 2014. Then, Los Angeles jumped on the bandwagon as well and opened up Crumbs & Whiskers. Soon enough, the Bay Area had their very own cat cafe, Kittea, located in San Francisco. But not many people know about the local cat lounge we have in Downtown San Jose: The Dancing Cat, which is an initiative of Silicon Valley Pet Project, a nonprofit animal rescue organization dedicated to saving local at-risk shelter pets from the San Jose Shelter. About 187 rescue cats have already been adopted from The Dancing Cat since its establishment in 2015.
Cat cafes became a huge hit in Japan in 2005. Its popularity led to other types of animal cafes to open later on. From cat cafes, dog cafes, owl cafes, to goat cafes, Tokyo, Japan has it all.
The U.S.’s first cat cafe, Cat Town Cafe, opened in Oakland, California in 2014. Then, Los Angeles jumped on the bandwagon as well and opened up Crumbs & Whiskers. Soon enough, the Bay Area had their very own cat cafe, Kittea, located in San Francisco. But not many people know about the local cat lounge we have in Downtown San Jose: The Dancing Cat, which is an initiative of Silicon Valley Pet Project, a nonprofit animal rescue organization dedicated to saving local at-risk shelter pets from the San Jose Shelter. About 187 rescue cats have already been adopted from The Dancing Cat since its establishment in 2015.
The cat lounge is a very safe and stress-free place for both humans and rescue cats. The cage-less cats in The Dancing Cat are much less distressed and are allowed to freely be the active or lazy cats that they are meant to be.
Human interactions with the cats at the lounge also allows rescue cats to rebuild their trust of humans in order to be able to transition comfortably to when they get adopted to a permanent home. The Dancing Cat helps at-risk cats to get out of shelters and put them in a much happier and mentally-healthier environment that helps them get adopted quicker. For a ten dollar donation, a human can enter The Dancing Cat to de-stress and take a break from their busy lives. If a human ends up falling in love with a cat, the cat can be adopted and given a forever home!
Human interactions with the cats at the lounge also allows rescue cats to rebuild their trust of humans in order to be able to transition comfortably to when they get adopted to a permanent home. The Dancing Cat helps at-risk cats to get out of shelters and put them in a much happier and mentally-healthier environment that helps them get adopted quicker. For a ten dollar donation, a human can enter The Dancing Cat to de-stress and take a break from their busy lives. If a human ends up falling in love with a cat, the cat can be adopted and given a forever home!
For more information or to book a visit at The Dancing Cat, please visit thedancingcat.org and support at-risk shelter cats who are looking for a forever home. The Dancing Cat also does walk-ins, but keep in mind that there can only be a limited amount of people in the lounge at one time so booking a reservation is suggested on busy days.
Article and all photographs by Elizabeth Huang.
Article and all photographs by Elizabeth Huang.