TOKYO (ANN/THE YOMIURI SHIMBUN) – There’s a new cat café in Takamatsu, Japan, but it specialises in hairless felines.
Opened in September, Sphynx Cat Cafe guests are greeted by three cats, including a type of hairless feline known as a Sphynx. They have soft skin, and have a friendly personality, even climbing onto customers’ laps or shoulders.
Hairless cats are said to have originated in Canada in the 1960s as a result of a mutation, and are popular mainly in Europe. However, they are not well-known in Japan.
Because of their lack of fur, they are less likely to cause allergic reactions, making them safer for people with allergies to interact with them.
Cafe owner Risa Yamamoto, 41, began breeding hairless cats last year and posts information about them on social media. “To prevent mismatches, I want potential owners to understand the cats’ characteristics before adopting them,” she said.
The cafe, which requires reservations, is popular with children who have cat allergies. Yamamoto said that in the future she wants to open a guesthouse where people can interact with hairless cats.
