A coffee shop, hidden down an alleyway off Taishun Street in Taipei’s Da-an District (大安), has been transformed into a shelter for dozens of street cats while also serving as an unofficial headquarters for cat-lovers in the capital. The conversion is all thanks to the compassion of store-keeper, Wu Hsin-ju (吳欣儒).
The Minimal Cafe, which is now home to several felines, is located within Shida Night Market and it is here that patrons can encounter cats of all colors as they laze around the cozy store. While some doze off on the wooden floor others lie against bookshelves and yet more sit above the bar counter gracefully licking their paws.
None of the moggies resting inside the coffee house seem that bothered by the curious glances or presence of the coffee-shop customers — some of the furry creatures even take the liberty of occupying customers’ seats when they get the chance. People who see their tables being “taken over” often opt to simply switch seats rather than shooing away the animals — which are, after all, the chosen ones in this so-called “paradise for cats.”
Photo: Weng Yu-huang, Taipei Times
The themed coffee store is not only a draw for Taiwanese ailurophiles, but has even attracted cat-lovers from Japan, some of whom follow the complex instructions in travel magazines to accurately pinpoint the shop’s cryptic location.
Many of the unique cafe’s customers spend an entire afternoon sipping a cup of rich coffee and taking group pictures with their feline neighbors, while gently teasing them before leaving the store seemingly content having spent so much time in cat company.
Shop owner Wu said her coffee store, set up 12 years ago, initially failed to make a profit because of its obscure alleyway location.
“However, the shop was later turned into a ‘halfway house’ for stray cats, because I could not bear the sight of them roaming the streets,” Wu said.
Aside from offering stray animals a warm place to stay, Wu has also helped them pair up with other cat-lovers over the past few years in an effort to find them permanent homes.
“The place used to accommodate as many as 40 cats. Some of them, particularly the younger ones, have been adopted by benevolent pet owners. The 30 older cats now seen in the store are those that have been left behind,” Wu said.
Minimal Cafe store manager Kuo Pei-yun (郭沛芸) said each of the many cats which call the coffee store home has its own name and own group of “loyal fans.”
“Among them the most well-liked is a black-and-white cat nicknamed An-an (安安), while a once-deserted Himalayan cat dubbed A-hsi (阿喜) recently passed away, which saddened many of its fans,” Kuo said.
Seeing the coffeehouse turned into a paradise for cats was something beyond their expectations, Kuo said, who urged pet owners not to get a pet on impulse.
Breeders must shoulder the responsibilities for the living conditions of animals.
“Pets are heart-broken when they are abandoned,” she said.
Translated by Stacy Hsu, staff writer
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
China Airlines Ltd (CAL) yesterday morning joined SkyTeam’s Aviation Challenge for the fourth time, operating a demonstration flight for “net zero carbon emissions” from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Bangkok. The flight used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at a ratio of up to 40 percent, the highest proportion CAL has achieved to date, the nation’s largest carrier said. Since April, SAF has become available to Taiwanese international carriers at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), Kaohsiung International Airport and Taoyuan airport. In previous challenges, CAL operated “net zero carbon emission flights” to Singapore and Japan. At a ceremony at Taoyuan airport, China Airlines chief sustainability
‘ONE CHINA’: A statement that Berlin decides its own China policy did not seem to sit well with Beijing, which offered only one meeting with the German official German Minister for Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul’s trip to China has been canceled, a spokesperson for his ministry said yesterday, amid rising tensions between the two nations, including over Taiwan. Wadephul had planned to address Chinese curbs on rare earths during his visit, but his comments about Berlin deciding on the “design” of its “one China” policy ahead of the trip appear to have rankled China. Asked about Wadephul’s comments, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Guo Jiakun (郭嘉昆) said the “one China principle” has “no room for any self-definition.” In the interview published on Thursday, Wadephul said he would urge China to
RSS