With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Pop-Up Cat Cafe Coming To Chinatown
The Catfe logo popped up during Chinatown's Moon Festival this weekend (Photo via Catfe's Facebook)
We've been hot on the tail of Los Angeles' first cat cafe, and we can now report that there will be a pop-up cat cafe in Chinatown in less than one month. Cat cafes are very popular in countries like Japan and Korea, but so far, America has been behind on the trend.
Carlos Wong has been fundraising for Catfe through Kickstarter, with rumors that it might eventually find a home in Little Tokyo in the Japanese Village Plaza next to Mr. Pizza. To sate us, and to kick off a second round of fundraising, Wong is opening a pop-up Catfe in the Far East Plaza in Chinatown on Oct. 2 through Oct. 5, LA Weekly reports.
Wong described a Cat Cafe like a "Starbucks petting zoo with cats" on his Kickstarter, which is pretty accurate. Patrons pay a fee to enter a room full of cats, and they can sip coffee and tea while socializing with them.
This pop-up event is a partnership between Wong and Chinatown BID and Best Friends LA (a no-kill shelter), and it sounds pretty amazing to us. Guests to the cafe will be able to pet cats and interact with costumed maids and butlers. If you fall in love with a furry buddy and are over 18, you can adopt him or her. There will also be a performance by DJs and band Lolita Dark, who are the authors of a song called "Kitty Nyan Nyan" that appears on Wong's Kickstarter.
Sponsored message
Interested cat cuddlers are advised to check with Catfe's Facebook for exact times, which should be posted soon.
At LAist, we focus on what matters to our community: clear, fair, and transparent reporting that helps you make decisions with confidence and keeps powerful institutions accountable.
Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
