Do “Cat Café” and “Dog Café” have different meanings in Japan?

They may sound like similar style café businesses with different animal customers, but in fact they are standard coffee shops with the unique characteristic that they involve animals. They are both types of cafés so they have common features which include the ordering of food and drinks. So then, what is the difference between them?

Actually their systems regarding the animals are kind of opposite. At a “Cat Café”, cats are a part of the café, in other words, they are the staff of the café to entertain you (though it happens only when they feel like doing so, otherwise they may be just napping there). So, going to a “Cat Café" is almost the same as going to a small indoor zoo with a café that has only cats to show. Visitors are charged an entrance fee and given a short lecture on the cat café's rules by the staff when they enter. People can order food and drinks for themselves or for the cats but they don’t have to.

On the other hand, “Dog Café” means simply a dog-friendly-café where people can bring their own dogs in and enjoy the food and drinks with their pets.
Apparently the origin of this unique “Cat Café” business was started in Taiwan in 1998 while in Japan the “Cat Café” business started in 2004 and has been spreading quickly, especially in big cities.

Since many apartments and rental houses don’t allow renters to have pets in Japan, Cat Cafés can be considered as an oasis for cat lovers. (You can see more writing about "Cat Cafe" on the testimonial page!)