Wednesday 14 January 2009

Japanese cats vs Swiss cats

I was reading an article about the latest trend in Japan and remembered about an old post I read, and decided to mix the two together.

Calico is one of at least 3 cafes that have opened up in Tokyo this year where visitors can mingle with cats as they enjoy a cup of tea. "This place isn't on my way from work, but even if I'm pretty tired, I'd still stop by," said 32-year-old system engineer Kazunori Hamanaka, as he tried to take a photo of a white and brown Bengal cat. "Stray cats run away when I try to stroke them. Here, it's great that I can do that," said Hamanaka, who is unable to keep pets at home. He takes about 200 photos on each visit for his blog. Visitors pay 800 yen ($7) an hour or 2,000 for three hours in a big room where 14 cats hang out. After a thorough handwash, the visitor can play with them, read comics or just relax.

In contrast, Switzerland is the only country in Western Europe that still legally allows cats to be hunted for their fur. Swiss law even states that cats that wander 200 yards or more away from their homes can legally be killed—and their fur can be made into jackets, coats, and bed blankets.

2 comments:

Boo said...

Eu acho que faz muito sentido! Quer dizer pelo menos a primeira parte! Eu que nao posso ter animais em casa e ja tenho gatos a anos, sinto a falta. Deveria ser interessante uma experiencia dessas aqui em Londres!

Lua said...

Hum... a segunda parte é mesmo a sério?!

Quanto aos bares, não ia :( Detesto gatos!