Words by Eia Collantes / Photos by Elaine Quion
I never really understood the hype over cat cafes. Having 18 cats running around and staring at you while you’re trying to peacefully drink your coffee sounded stressful and a bit awkward to me. After an afternoon at Le Cat Coffee Shop, though, I realized that this was not the case at all.
With now 18 different cats and counting, the Las Pinas-based Le Cat Coffee Shop has been open since May 2015. Rizza Lana, the owner, said she was inspired by the cat cafes she saw in Japan and thought it would be cool to open one in the South, which seems fitting since the South is known for its chill and layback atmosphere. As a cat lover, Rizza Lana finds working with all of these cats to be more fun than stressful.
Contrary to what one might expect from a cafe full of animals, the cat cafe isn’t rowdy at all. After all, cats are generally known for their gentle and peaceful albeit cantankerous nature when they are not yet comfortable with socializing. However, the cats in Le Cat Coffee Shop did not display any ill-mannered behaviour, which shows that they are very well taken care of. Generally, many of these cats can be found half asleep in their respected sleeping corners or sleeping on a visitor’s leg. While the others are lazing around, the few hyper cats can be seen playing with guests and the toys provided by the cafe.
Visitors are given three options at this cafe. The first option, which is the one we got, allows visitors to stay up to 2 hours and get a hot or iced beverage of their choice. The next option is the same as the first, except the drinks are more varied. The last option is a 1-hour stay at the cafe with any hot or iced beverage.
Ice Cream Waffle (P100)
Iced Dark Chocolate Mocha and Iced White Chocolate Mocha (P199 each inclusive of a 2-hour stay at the cafe)
Cookies
After a long, hectic day, tired visitors can look forward to the overall laidback and peaceful aura of the cat cafe. A number of the guests are frequent visitors who have grown attached to these cats and have already gotten the hang of calling them by their names.
So, the next time you feel like you need to sit back and relax with some coffee and snacks, consider doing it while spending time with nature’s pros at taking it easy.
Le Cat Coffee Shop
76 Gloria Diaz St., BF Resort Village, Las Pinas
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lecatcoffeeshop/
Instagram: @lecatcoffeeshop
