Meowchiatto or catpurrccino? Lierse Aaikes in Lier is more than just a cat café!
Lierse Aaikes
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Lier’s first and only cat café, Lierse Aaikes, is known for its cozy decor and friendly cats. Situated in the bustling shopping district, it’s the perfect spot for a relaxing break during your day trip. Whether you fancy a cuddle session or a latte meowcchiato, Lierse Aaikes has you covered. Make it the highlight of your visit to Lier!

Kattencafé Lierse Aaikes in Lier

Lierse Aaikes kattencafé

What is a cat café?

A cat café is a unique establishment that combines the ambiance of a coffee shop with the presence of resident cats. Originating in Taiwan in the late 1990s, the concept has gained popularity worldwide.

Belgium’s introduction to cat cafés occurred with the opening of Le Chattouille and MangaKat in Brussels, marking the inception of a trend that has since seen the establishment of 16 cat cafés across the country.

Lierse Aaikes foto's

What sets Lierse Aaikes apart from other cat cafés?

Lierse Aaikes is a small cat café with a limited capacity of around 23 visitors.

“We offer a highly cozy atmosphere with decor tailored to the cats, including a cat bridge and two levels,” says Lierse Aaikes manager Nina. “The furniture gives each spot in the café a different style, all beautifully built by the café’s original owner.”

Lierse Aaikes goes beyond its feline-friendly ambiance by incorporating a cat-centric theme into its menu, including tableware with cat prints. At the cat café, you can enjoy drinks like a latte meowchiatto, catpurrccino, or one of their specials that change every few months.

After your visit, you can browse in their shop, filled with various cat-themed products for both people and cats.

Lierse Aaikes winkel

What’s in a name?

The name ‘Lierse Aaikes’ is a Dutch play on words inspired by ‘Lierse Vlaaikes,’ a regional pastry crafted from brown sugar syrup and four spices.

‘Lierse’ means ‘from the city of Lier,’ while ‘aaikes’ is the Dutch word for ‘pets’ or ‘strokes.’

Lier café

A short history of Lierse Aaikes

Lierse Aaikes has been around since 2020. It was created by a girl named Daphne and initially operated as a cat café with a vegan menu. Cat cafés in Belgium were still very new at the time and considered a unique concept.

Pusher's Café

In August 2023, the current manager, Nina, took the reins after having been a loyal client, and she’s clearly doing her new job with a passion.

Nina is a 24-year-old Belgian and Filipino who leverages her background in events management and photography, as well as her experience in customer service and logistics, to enhance the cat café’s operations.

“I love cats, and working in a cat café has always been my dream job,” she says. “As for other hobbies, I enjoy urban exploring in my free time.”

kattencafé Lier

Her passion for feline-centric attractions traces back to a holiday in Inle Lake in Myanmar, more in particular a visit to the Burmese Cat Village, an island filled with Burmese cats, each having special wooden houses.

“I also visited several cat cafés in England where the cats were very friendly,” she continues.

“However, the cafe that has left the biggest impression on me is a cat café in Vietnam: Meo’s House Café. It wasn’t well-known among tourists in 2019. They had at least 15 cats, and the café was beautifully decorated with a plant theme and wooden interior, allowing guests to sit on the floor with the cats while enjoying coffee.”

Raven of Lierse Aaikes

The cats

There are currently seven permanent cats at Lierse Aaikes, all of them from shelters.

Kika is the mother cat of four: Miso, Nori, Ariya, and Ambra.

Additionally, there’s Raven, the largest cat, and Mulan, the smallest resident of the café.

“These cats are social and happy to live in the café,” Nina says. “Five of them are family, and I want to keep them together. Starting 2024, we will collaborate with shelters to become an adoptive home for cats available for adoption.”

Kika on a pink cushion

Outstanding features of Lierse Aaikes

Inviting ambiance

Lierse Aaikes stands out as one of the coziest cat cafés in Belgium, featuring beautiful furnishings and ample space for a delightful cat-spotting stroll. The additional floor adds a touch of variety to the overall atmosphere.

cat scratches

Cute cat toys

Rarely do toys contribute to a cat café’s ambiance, but here, the originality shines through, with unique items like a scratching post shaped like a kitty laptop.

Come Halloween and Christmas, the cat café transforms with themed decorations and toys. During my visit, I appreciated the Christmas-themed scratching posts, particularly the snowman and the sleigh. These proved to be favorites among the cats too.

Croci griffoir pour chats

Warm hospitality

The new manager, Nina, is adorable and obviously does this job with a lot of love. This creates a welcoming environment for both cats and visitors.

missing have you seen this cat

Happy cats

Perhaps the most crucial aspect is the happiness of the resident cats. Evidently healthy and well-cared for, they feel completely at ease, contributing to a positive experience for the guests as well since the cats enjoy being there and won’t be running away.

Nori from Lierse Aaikes

Areas for improvement

Limited snack options

The lack of treats or other foods is a slight downside (only crisps are currently available), but it’s understandable due to the previous owner’s daily disposal of a significant portion of pies.

However, every Sunday, Lierse Aaikes hosts a ‘Kitty Brunch,’ where visitors can enjoy a croque, dessert, and drinks in the company of the cats.

Mulan from Lierse Aaikes

Practical information

Address

Lierse Aaikes, Rechtestraat 37, 2500 Lier, Belgium.

Lier train station is only a 10-minute walk away from the cat café. If you take the exit towards Stationsplein, it’s an almost straight line towards your destination. It’s an enjoyable stroll, too, because Lierse Aaikes is located in the middle of the commercial shopping center.

In case you prefer to take the bus, the following buses from De Lijn stop almost right next to Lierse Aaikes: 561, 569, 570, 571,152, 153, 154, 297, 422, 428, 556, 560, 1, 2, 3, 90, 35, 351, 359, 150, 151.

Arya from Lierse Aaikes

Opening hours

  • Monday: closed
  • Tuesday: noon – 04:00 pm
  • Wednesday: noon – 05:00 pm
  • Thursday: closed
  • Friday: noon – 05:00 pm
  • Saturday: noon – 05:00 pm
  • Sunday: noon – 05:00 pm (kitty bunch upon reservation – 11:00 am – 01:00 pm)

Ambra from Lierse Aaikes

Reservations

Making a reservation is recommended for visits on weekend days to be sure of a spot, Saturdays and Sundays are the busiest days in the café.

Reservations are possible via e-mail lierseaaikes@gmail.com

Make sure to mention for which day you would like to reserve, for what time and the number of people you would like to make a reservation for.

However, I visited Lierse Aaikes on a Friday afternoon and had the cats all to myself for several hours.

Miso from Lierse Aaikes

Entrance fee

There’s an entrance fee of €3 per person. This contribution goes entirely towards the care of the resident cats, including food, cat litter, medication, veterinary expenses, and so on.

Will you be visiting the cat cafe regularly? Inquire about their punch card, which costs €10 for five visits.

Lierse Aaikes kattencafé Lier

Cat café rules

  • For the health of café cats, Lierse Aaikes kindly requests that you have not visited any animal shelters at least three weeks before your visit to the cat café. This is to prevent the spread and contamination of parvovirus and other diseases.
  • Allow the cats to approach you on their own initiative. Petting is allowed if the cat indicates that this is okay.
  • Do not pick up the cats as this may stress them.
  • Leave sleeping cats undisturbed.
  • Do not give human food to the cats.
  • Do not use flash when taking photos.

cat café Lier

What else can you visit in Lier?

“I would definitely recommend visiting the local shops near the café,” says Nina. “On Rechtestraat itself, you can find various local shops with plants, coffee, chocolate, and more.”

Croci cat

Conclusion – Is Lierse Aaikes worth visiting?

This cat café is truly worth taking a detour for. The ambiance is incredibly cozy. And the cats are not only comfortable but also highly social, allowing you plenty of quality time with them. Knowing that these are all former strays makes it even more rewarding.

Nina shares, “Every day when I arrive at the café, the cats welcome me. It’s lovely to see how they find something new to play with or choose their favorite sleeping spots. It makes me very happy to see all the cats content with their environment and living a better life.”

Uncertain about making a cross-country trip just to visit the cat café?

For those with a penchant for shopping, Lier offers abundant opportunities to indulge in your passion. Beyond the cat café, the city is lively, offering a myriad of activities beyond your feline-friendly visit.

So, will you be visiting Lierse Aaikes? If so, don’t hesitate to share your photos with us on Facebook and Twitter.

cats only

Have a look at all the other cat cafés around the world that we’ve visited and reviewed!

If you are dreaming about opening your own cat café, the book Drinks & Whiskers: How You Can Open a Successful Cat Café by Angeli Rodriguez is a must-read!

cats meow catlovers

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Kattencafé Lierse Aaikes in Lier België

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