The Internet nowadays is a place ruled by cute kitties in tea cups and by animated characters like the nyan cat (you know him: the flying cat that poops rainbows for 10 hours) or the grumpy cat that has now over 6 million likes on Facebook and a personal manager! We melt into tears every time a dog rescues a little girl (like that three-year-old that was saved by her puppy after 11 days lost in a Siberian forest) and we can’t stop laughing when we see our best friend pass out from overwhelming joy.
This ever increasing obsession with our pets has created room for new types of businesses. Forget about Coolidge’s poker-playing dogs because real life is getting so much better than all that! And here it comes:
In 1998, the first Cat Café opened in Taiwan. The concept was really simple: enjoy your cappuccino surrounded by friendly cats and try not to swallow too much hair. After the success of Taiwan’s coffee shop, the idea of mixing adorable kittens with our breakfast became tremendously popular all over the world. As you can imagine, first of all it hit Japan – and it hit Japan hard. Then, it crossed borders and continents and moved west to reach cities like Vienna, New York, Paris, and very soon Barcelona where it will be called Espai deGats.
The idea was conceived by three local cat-lovers who want their espai to be “more than a typical cat café”. They are still looking for the ideal spot and even with tons of volunteers, there’s still a lot of work to do, since the place will also be an adoption center and a school for humans who would like to learn about the vegan way of life and natural cosmetics. So, if you love kitties and like your burger meat free, you should think about joining them. Espai deGats is looking for partners, volunteers and donators in order to make it happen.
Now, if you’re more of a dog person, don’t despair! Barcelona also has a special place for you and your best buddy. Aptly named Barkcelona, the space opened in March 2014 in carrer d’Aribau as a Dog Social Club. Bring your puppy for a shopping afternoon: here you will find top of the notch accessories, latest dog fashion fads and exquisite food like delicious low-fat salmon and beef cupcakes (not for you, human!). This liberal uni-race place also offers cat products and a beauty salon, so feel free to come by with your fur ball for an extreme makeover.
In the end, your pet will feel like a king (cats already do, but still) and your wallet as light as a butterfly. It’s all a question of personal priorities, right?
