Kitten Coffee Garden: World’s First Cat Cafe

As a general rule, we tend to be a tad wary of cat cafes: at their very worst, they can be dirty, gimmicky, exploitative, or simply downright boring. As an animal lover, there’s nothing worse than to feel that the kitties that you came to play with aren’t been kept in the right conditions. However, Taipei is actually home to the very first cat cafe in the world — Kitten Coffee Garden in Zhishan — and it is everything we ever dreamed of.

Kitten Coffee Garden was established in 1998 and has changed its name many times, but one thing has always stayed the same: cats, and their love for cats.

The most important thing about Kitty Coffee Garden is that you never feel like the cats are merely there for your entertainment — this is their home, and you are the guest. There are plenty of beds and soft spots for the cats to sleep in, and there are two cat-only compartments for them to escape to when they no longer want contact with humans. If you choose to, you can buy them treats at the front desk. You may not smoke, feed the cats (apart from treats that you purchase in-house) or use the camera flash. The owners are very sweet; it’s heart-warming to see how much they love their pets, and how healthy and well-trained the animals are.

Another great thing about Kitty Coffee Garden is the sheer number of animals they have: twelve cats, two dogs, and a bird. This means that there is always someone wandering around looking to get friendly, especially if you have food. There are plenty of baskets for the cats to sit in, and they are strategically located next to every table. The bird stays in its cage, but the dogs wander freely and will occasionally stare dejectedly at the door, waiting for their master to come home.

The animals here are never bought or sold; they are either strays or have been gifted by friends that they have accumulated over the years. When their cafe opened 20 years ago, the owners decided to bring their five cats with them to set them apart from other cafes. While they may not have been the first cafe to have cats, they were the first to market themselves as such, which is why the media eventually picked up on the story and catapulted cat cafes into popularity.

The cafe is also kept immaculately clean — no easy feat considering the number of animals they have. Even the toilet is squeaky clean, and you never feel icky after having touched a pet.

There is at least one plug socket at Kitty Coffee Garden, making it a nice place to relax and finish up some work, which was why we were there. Despite not actively seeking out the cats, they would get curious and come sit with us. At one point, a cat flew across the table onto our laptop, nearly knocking it down — people with expensive computers may want to remember that cats will be cats, and you need to take extra precautions around them. Luckily ours was fine!

The menu has all your basics: some food and dessert options, teas, coffees, and even a cheeky couple of cocktails. There is a minimum spend of $140, which is pretty easy to meet. When we looked at the Google reviews, lots of people recommended the sorbets, but we stuck with a pot of tea. Next time!

What’s the vibe?

Large cafe with plenty of seating and cat-themed decorations. The decor is not modern, but very comfy and welcoming. It reminded us of being in our living rooms!

Worth it?

Heck yeah! Prices are around the same as other cafes, and there’s cats. And dogs. And a bird! If you miss being around animals, this is the perfect place. We also hear the coffees come with cute cat-paw cocoa dusting on top.

Would you go back?

We’re already planning our next visit.

Visited June 2018.