The Cat Cafe @ Bugis

What do you when you love cats but can’t have one for your own in Singapore? You go to a cat cafe, that’s what.

Okay so that intro is hardly original. I used it for my dog cafe post. Oops. 😛

Might as well use the next few paragraphs of that post, eh?

First things first – what is a cat cafe?

A cat cafe is a cafe which has a bunch of cats that you can pet and and play with. Great idea, eh? This idea apparently sprung from Japan, where someone realised that there was a need for stressed businessmen to relax by bonding with felines and came up with cat cafes.

That became so popular that the craze has made its way over to Singapore. There are currently 3 open cat cafes on the island, with 2 more slated to open soon.

The one we went to is the second one to open here. We chose it because it has a fixed rate of S$15 and you can stay for as long as you want, unlike the others which charge by the hour.

My friends Arlyn, Armar, and I were supposed to go on a Saturday but when I called them to ask what would be the best time to go and if they accepted reservations, I was informed that they only accepted walk-ins and that Saturdays were not a good time to go because they were usually very full. Sundays were not good, either. So we decided to go on a Tuesday after work.

It’s pretty easy to reach, you can take the MRT to Bugis, then cross the road towards Bugis Village. Look for Burger King. To the left of it there is a sign which leads to the slightly dizzyingly spiral stairs that leads to the third floor where the cat cafe is located.

Upon entering, it pretty much looks like a regular cafe, with the typical countertops and menu boards.

The entrance fee is S$15 as I mentioned earlier, and that comes with a free softdrink, but if you fancy a different drink, you can top up. They also have real food and pastries.

In front of the counter is a rack for shoes. You’re supposed to remove yours and put on their clean slippers. Aside from that you are also supposed to sanitize your hands before you can go play with the cats. Here is their complete rules list:

Beyond a glass door lies the area where the cats are. There are currently 19 cats, all of which were ex-strays or cats abandoned by their owners. They were rescued by Kitty Care Haven and have now found a home at The Cat Cafe.

There are lots of ledges and towering thingies for the cats to climb up on, along with tables and seats for humans. It’s quite spacious, clean, and colorful, actually, and Arlyn mentioned that it was a lovely place to just stay and relax, even if you’re not here for the cats. I have to agree.

I just wouldn’t recommend trying to eat a piece of cake on them because cats will definitely try and eat it – that I promise you. There was a funny moment when I was holding our strawberry shortcake aloft above my head because a certain mischievous cat pounced on the table to try and eat it. We decided to finish it quickly because we’re not supposed to feed them human food. It was delicious, by the way.

You can buy cat food for $3 which you can use to entice all the cats to approach you. That is why all the cats in the picture below are looking at the girl with the food.

The cats are not friendly, though. I don’t mean to say that they’re mean, but they don’t exactly snuggle up against you and they have a tendency to leave when you try to pet them, which I realize is probably just typical cat behaviour. One of the guys said that the friendliest cat was unfortunately fast asleep and you’re not supposed to wake her up. Sad. 🙁

Nevertheless, we did enjoy the moments when we were able to pet and play with other cats.

We couldn’t remember what the cats’ names were, so we gave them names we came up with ourselves. The cat on the bottom right in the pic above, for example, had quite a big nose, so I decided to call her Barbra Streisand.

Then another cat, the one on the upper left, kept on sniffing and pawing at our bags like she was a detective or something, so I told her, “Don’t you know that curiosity killed the cat?!?!” Armar and Arlyn cracked up at that.

Too bad we had to eventually tear ourselves away from all the pretty kitties.

Oh, and before we left we also asked where the kitties did their – umm – business, and the guy asked us to guess. As I looked around, I noticed that there was this thing with pipes running from it, and it turns out that was where it was. Very well hidden and not at all smelly, because the pipes apparently suck the smell out or something. Quite ingenious!

It’s really a nice place, so do check it out!

The Cat Cafe
241B Victoria Street Level 3
Tel No: 6338 6815 
Website: http://thecatcafe.sg/

Operating Hours:
Monday: 3pm to 10pm 
Tuesday – Sunday, Public Holiday: 10am to 10pm

Age requirement: 
6 & Above only. Children under 12 must be accompanied by adults