I can observe cats for free in my neighborhood - they never seem to want to be petted, they just stare me down until I move on.
There are 3 cat cafes in Berlin (I checked to see if I could get a kitty fix while away from my chonk), but they’re all a bit of a haul from our hood. None of the cat cafes I’ve ever been to are packed with cats, nor do the cats themselves seem particularly bothered. They’ll show you if they are 
I think this controversy is kind of ridiculous, TBH.
there was small dusty bookstore in the East Village i used to browse some years ago. along with a fine selection of Humanities type books, there was a shop cat that lingered. i visited often and at some point she would jump on my shoulder and camp there while i read. i’d hope some of these cat cafes lead people today to similar memories.
And here I thought that the cats were a menu offering.
What a letdown.
That was a rumor about a well-loved dive of a Chinese restaurant of my youth (and some of our parents’ youth). Tiny upstairs space; if you sat at the table under the pay phone you answered it and took the orders. I still think about it and wish there was something like it now (open until 3 am)
In fact, of course there was no news or proof. It was like a story you told at camp.
The bookstore cats are the best. We met one in the small town of Shelburne Falls, Mass. She is a small cat named Boswell who sleeps in a little picnic case in the window of the store. Adorable. You can buy a postcard of her at the shop.
There is a wine shop in North Cambridge, MA, that used to have a very large cat named Dixie who slept in the window with a “seasonal” display like a pumpkin in the fall and also wandered around the store. We got to know him…he loved being petted behind the ears…and went to the store just to see him. Sadly, one day we went and he had passed away.
There was a hardware store nearby with a store cat much beloved by the neighborhood. He passed away, too. He had just “retired.” I think they’ve gotten a a new one, though. He has big paws to fill.
