How Not to Visit a Cat Café with Kids!

Cat cafés are becoming increasingly popular, offering not only friendly staff but also the company of four-legged companions. However, ensuring the safety and well-being of the animals in these establishments is essential, especially when visiting with young children.

Pet cafés, whether featuring cats or even reptiles, are understandably popular. For animal lovers, spending time among furry (or scaly) friends is a delight. However, the well-being of both guests and the animals must be prioritized. This requires café owners to enforce clear rules and for visitors to follow them.

Guests at the cat café must consider the well-being of the felines

As we’ve emphasized in many of our articles, our purring companions are highly territorial creatures who are attached to their spaces and may not react well to strangers invading their domain. Additionally, the proximity of unfamiliar people, along with the scents and noises they bring, can stress the animals.

The cats living in these types of establishments are usually chosen for their sociable nature, as they are less likely to be unsettled by the comings and goings of visitors. Responsible pet owners wouldn’t subject their animals to this lifestyle unless they were suited to it. These cats are typically those who tolerate or even enjoy being petted by guests. However, this depends on the individual cat!

Some café cats may purr and demand affection, while others might prefer to stay observers. Their behavior can also vary depending on the circumstances: one day, a cat might enjoy sitting on a visitor’s lap, while another day, it might retreat to a quiet corner of the café in search of solitude. Just as humans have different moods and days, so do animals. This must be respected!

Age Limit Introduced for Children

As recently announced on Cat Café Budapest’s social media, an age limit has been implemented for visitors based on their experiences. From now on, only children over the age of 10 will be allowed to visit the café to ensure the peace of the cats and other guests.

The explanation highlights that this decision was not made lightly. After much deliberation, the café decided that the negative experiences of staff and numerous guests necessitated this step.

According to the statement:

Children often try to handle the cats inappropriately or run around the café yelling loudly without parental supervision, knocking over guests and staff, or climbing on cat furniture—sometimes even damaging it.

The statement also mentions that parents often reacted negatively to staff interventions.

Reading all this, the decision seems entirely justified. However, the staff have expressed their regret, as not all young children exhibited the behaviors listed under the newly imposed age limit.

Similarly, there is always a possibility that an older child might not behave appropriately with the animals. To prevent this, it is the parents’ responsibility to prepare their child on how to properly approach and interact with the cats in the café. For this, it is essential that the parents themselves are well-informed!

Let’s take a look at the rules for visiting cat cafés

1.) Respect the animal’s boundaries!

We know it’s hard to resist the temptation, but if a cat doesn’t want to be petted or is clearly avoiding guests, leave it alone. Just because you’re at a cat café doesn’t mean the animals are there for your entertainment! If a cat keeps its distance, be content with admiring these beautiful creatures from afar.

2.) Don’t be noisy!

Sudden or loud noises can understandably disturb the animals as well as other guests. In these unique cafés, it’s especially important to ensure your presence isn’t overwhelming. Speak at a moderate volume, avoid running, and lift chairs and other objects gently.

3.) Do not offer anything to the animals!

This might seem obvious, but it’s worth stating: you are not allowed to give any food or drink to the cats in the café! Neither your own food nor anything brought from home—whether cat food or treats—should be offered to them. Feeding the cats is the responsibility of the café staff.

4.) Take care of the furnishings!

Again, this may seem basic, but it’s important to emphasize that the café’s furniture, including items intended for the cats, should be treated with care.

5.) Don’t be rough with the cats!

This rule is primarily aimed at children, as we trust that adults know to handle animals gently. However, kids can unintentionally hurt them with overly rough petting or by trying to pick them up. This is not allowed, and hugging or kissing the cats should also be avoided. Otherwise, the cat might react out of fear by scratching or biting, which would be entirely understandable in such cases.