I am more of a dog person than a crazy cat lady. Although I do love all animals, and almost always talk to and try to pet every cat I see on the street. I prefer dogs even though my first pet was a grey fluffy cat called Reeky-Teeky-Tido-Puss-Puss-Puss! (I really need to dig out a photo of him).
When I arrived in Ostrava for the TBEX travel conference, visiting a Cat Café wasn’t the first thing I’d planned to do. But then life rarely goes as planned.
After wheeling my suitcase 2.5 kilometeres in 30c heat from Ostrava train station to my hotel, I needed a cold drink and I prefer the company of animals over the company of most humans.
Around the corner was Koč Café – Koč in Czech means cat.
Koč Cafe, Ostrava
Despite the rough-looking exterior, it’s actually quite cosy inside, and you have to wear shoe covers for hygiene reasons when you enter the café. There are also ‘house rules’ you should follow to make sure the cats are not mistreated. For example, you are not allowed to feed them or pick them up if they are sleeping.
A few of the resident cats.
I ordered a drink and a toasted sandwich, and sat for a while and watched the cats do their thing. I learnt that dogs are much easier to photograph than cats, and are far more obedient!
Tonic & a toastie
Don’t touch my rat!
The cat looks so angry at having its picture taken.
Photographing dogs is much easier.
I saw 8 or 9 different cats while at the Koč Cafe, all seemed healthy, happy and well looked after.
But they also had a dog 🙂
A cute black terrier type thing called BenDr (Ben Doctor?!) who despite appearing to be way down the hierarchy and outnumbered by cats, he seemed a happy soul and enjoyed having his photo taken – well at least he was willing to pose.
BenDr – the resident dog at the Cat Cafe
Useful Information
How to find Koč Cafe: Poděbradova 23, Ostrava 1, Czech Republic
Cost: Entry is free, and the prices are similar to that of a regular cafe in the Czech Republic. It’s generally cheaper than in England.
Have you been to a cat cafe before? If so let me know what you thought.