Cats from Kortrijk {Belgium}

Kortrijk may not be on your list of top cities to visit in Belgium, but this is about to change.

The city is home to a cute café where 11 cats rule (and several kittens will soon be joining the crew): Kuro Neko Cat Café. It's situated in the middle of the historic center of Kortrijk, at walking distance from the main market square.

The café was founded in 2018 by brother and sister Arne and Birgit Verbeke.

The name, Kuro Neko, is Japanese and means black cat.

It's not the only reference to Japanese culture. The cats' names, too, have Asian roots: Hime, Toshiro, Sano, Sakura, Natsu, Ichigo, Nee-Chan, etc.

It'll probably come as no surprise that the concept is based on the very first cat cafés in Japan and Taiwan.

The creamy interior of Kuro Neko is completely catified, with plenty of climbing and scratching options. Cat toys are everywhere. The cats particularly liked the giant exercise wheel.

The fish-shaped catnip toys were also approved by the feline community.

The space is divided into two main areas: the entrance/shop (where you can buy organic cat food, toys and cat wine) and the main seating area.

The cats' litter boxes are located in a separate retreat room where the animals have access via cutouts.

There are also a large number of cat books at your disposition in the seating area: Avalon, Catfulness, Cat vs. Human, and many more.

Visitors can choose from a large variety of tea, coffee and homemade lemonade. Pastries are also available, though these sell out quickly during weekends.

By the way, how cute are those mugs?

Kuro Neko is quite popular, and you'll often have to wait a little while before securing a spot. A reservation, however, is not necessary.

Just like in other cat cafés, there's a number of rules to follow to make sure the cats remain happy. One of these rules is that children under the age of eight are not allowed inside the café (anymore). While most young children are respectful towards the animals, there were too many occasions where they pulled the cats' tails or even hit them. At least, the cats are happy and at peace now.

Practical information:

Address: Kuro Neko Cat Café, Onze-Lieve-Vrouwenstraat 20, Kortrijk, Belgium

Opening hours: Kuro Neko is open every day, except Wednesdays, from 10 a.m. to to 6 p.m.

After hours, Kuro Neko sometimes organizes a series of workshops and events, such as movie nights or yoga classes in the company of purring kitties.

If you're ever in Belgium, make sure you stop by to see the cats of Kuro Neko.

Read next => Meet the cat that runs café De Dingen in Kortrijk

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Cat from Valletta {Malta}

Positioned at the bow of a fishing boat in the Maltese port of Valletta, this cat has nothing to fear from a foreign invasion. Just like Sweden, Ireland and the United Kingdom, Malta has banned the entry of pets on its territory to prevent animal diseases such as rabies. As such, this kitty can bask in the sun with reckless abandon.

Text and photo: Chats autour du monde

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Cats from Venice {Italy}

Venice, the city of water, is also a city of cats. In the watery world of gondolas and bridges, cats and people live together comfortably. No cars disturb the peace or threaten the inhabitants.

Crossing the two-and-a-half mile bridge from Mestre on the mainland, you arrive at Piazzale Roma, west of the train station. From this point, you have only two travel choices: to go by boat or on foot.

The only vehicles seen in Venice are carts silently rolling across an arched bridge or rumbling down a path between busy streets. Children on bicycles fitted with training wheels unsteadily circle the plazas, as mothers push baby carriages and watch over the bicycling children.

The Venetians are tolerant of cats. In fact, the cats of Venice are cherished, fed, and watched over by people who appreciate the serenity and self-sufficiency of cats.

Once, when I was strolling down a passage, the bony remains of a fish suddenly fell from a high window right down next to a cat. This act of serendipity did not surprise me--it was in keeping with the mystery of the city.

Source: The Cats of Venice by Shin Otani

Cat from Leiden {Netherlands}

Just like Amsterdam, Leiden in the Netherlands features a large number of small canals. It's mainly known as a university city and is one of Europe's most prominent scientific research centers. This gives Leiden a bustling and international feel.

Many famous people live or have lived there, including Carice van Houten (Melisandre in Game of Thrones), Albert Einstein, and Rembrandt. However, Leiden's most discussed inhabitant is... a cat.

Jacco aka Buurtpoes Bledder was the adopted pet of one of the residents of a student house in Leiden. As soon as he was allowed outside, he started roaming the neighborhood around the Nieuwe Rijn, looking for company. He particularly loved the cafés, shops, bars and offices in the historic central district. Many of the managers and customers started posting his adventures on Facebook, and that's how he became a local celebrity. 

Photos: Marjolein Goes

Cats from London {England}

Welcome to the UK's first cat café: Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium.

«Lady Dinah's owes its genesis to a bad day at work,» founder Lauren Pears explains in the book London Pubcats. Lauren was a senior project manager working in computer games who, after a miserable day at the office, had her mood lightened on the way home by the affections of a stray cat. «It made me realize that everything seems better when there's a cat. I wrote my business plan the next day.»

The idea was to create a place where people who didn't have a cat of their own would be able to come and enjoy some feline company.

After a successful crowdfunding campaign that raised almost £110,000, the café opened its doors in March 2014.

Even though there are many pubs in London where you can enjoy the company of one or two cats (The Charlotte Despard and the Old Eagle's pub, to name a few), Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium has become the place to be for cat lovers visiting the capital.

Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium has become so popular that you usually can't get in without a reservation, not even on a weekday afternoon outside of the holiday season.

A reservation costs £10 (to be paid in advance). For that price, you get one non-alcoholic drink and 90 minutes in the company of the cats.

You can also opt for High Tea. For £25, you receive 90 minutes with the resident felines, two drinks per person, and a high tea tier to share (which will be more than you'll be able to eat).

The basement floor of the café is decorated like the magical forest of Alice in Wonderland. This is also where the name of the café comes from since Dinah is Alice's kitten.

The top floor has a more neutral setting.

The wellbeing of the cats is of utmost importance in Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium. There are more rules to follow than in most other cat cafés (wash your hands before entering, don't pick up the cats, don't wake them up, etc), but that is a good thing.

Guests are more than welcome to play with the cats, and there are plenty of toys to assist with that.

All the residents are rescued/adopted instead of bought. If the staff notices that one of the cats is not enjoying café life anymore, they will rehome it.

The café also helps spread awareness about the benefits of spaying and neutering, especially for female cats who are at reduced risk of uterine disease later in life if they are spayed.

Address: 152-154 Bethnal Green Road, London, England

More info here.

P.S. Some other interesting cat cafés: Tokyo / Ghent / Brussels / Amsterdam / Seoul / Nice / Seattle