In Japan many people live in small apartments owned by landlords that do not allow pets, do not have room or do not have time for pets. (And ware those who -do- have the ability to own animals! They take it even farther than we do!) Beyond these reasons, hey, it's just fun and relaxing to hang out with some kitties.
So, the enterprising solution? Cat cafes! A cat cafe will have many breeds of cats and for a small fee you can spend an hour petting all the cats you want! Here are a few blogs/articles, some tongue in cheek, about the experience.
http://sarahmarchildon.blogspot.com/2009/02/one-hour-of-heavy-petting.html
http://www.vice.com/read/meow-meow-meow-329-v17n2
Here you can see an English translation of a cat cafe site. Click on the cats tab and see some of the kitty idols you could meet!
Prefer dogs? Well, you can just rent yourself one! Or any other sort of animal you might like. (I, personally, think cat cafes are a bit kinder. I can't imagine how some of these smaller animals feel being shunted around.)
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| From http://foodartmusiclife.blogspot.com/2010/05/cat-cafes.html |
I really wish they had those in the US - kittieeees! :D
ReplyDeleteIt would be -SUCH- a good idea, especially in a college town. The local ASPCA had a fundraiser on campus this fall where you could "rent" a puppy. There was a sign up sheet and it was full before the event even started. Also, I've noticed that shops with cats tend to get some pretty positive responses!
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