Cats from Ghent {Belgium}

After Mangakat and Le Chatouille, a third cat café has opened in Belgium. Welcome to DreamCATchers.

This time, the location is the center of Ghent, close to the Korenmarkt and the Saint Jacob's Church.

Yesterday morning I visited DreamCATchers in the company of travel writers Ingrid and Lars. As we came in early, it was still quiet at the cat café, so we could stay longer than the dictated one hour and a half. At noon, though, the place was crowded. Everyone wanted to spend their lunch break there.

Making feline dreams come true

What I like about DreamCATchers is that all their cats come from shelters and are up for adoption. The idea is to give “unwanted” shelter cats a second chance. And it's working. In the 14 weeks that DreamCATchers exists, there have been 14 adoptions. Visitors often go there just for a drink, but end up falling in love with one of the kitties.

One of the cats currently looking for a permanent home is Jelske. She's only one year old but already gave birth to eight kittens. She always wants to play and enjoys posing for pictures.

Then there's Mr. Darcy whom Ingrid was infatuated with.

Jodie was the shy one, so I didn't bother her too much with my camera. She soon retreated to the cat room for some quiet time.

Speaking of which... If you download the Petcube App on your smartphone, you can watch the kitties rest and play in this room. Other cats were hiding there, too. Can you find them?

Capurrr-ccino or Latte Meowcchiato?

Even if you don't adopt or volunteer at DreamCATchers, you can still help the cats by having a drink there. How cute are the names of the coffees: Capurrr-ccino, Latte meowcchiato, Ameowricano, or Catspresso. I'm sure you can't resist either. Or what about a cat-themed beer?

All the treats and drinks in the cat café are vegan. I tried the soy latte meowcchiato, the apple pie, and the Purrr-onade (homemade lemonade with lemon juice, lavender tea, ginger, and agave), and they're delicious.

The income from these treats and drinks goes to the cats. They dine on organic cat food, so I'm guessing they are well treated.

Adopt and shop

I ended my morning at the cat café with a visit to their shop. They sell many funny items, such as cat-themed lip balm, Cat Butt Gum, Talk with your Cat gum, liquid kitty hand soap, etc. But they also offer a large selection of healthy cat food, cat litter, food bowls, kitty purses, and more.

They also have cat books: Metal Cats, You Need More Sleep: Advice from Cats, etc.

I went home with lots of presents for my cat, Romero. The next few weeks he'll be filling his stomach with Meowing Heads salmon & chicken kibble, Meowing Heads chicken & turkey wet food, Schesir Tuna & Whitebait, and Schesir Tuna & Beef.

Address: Cat Café DreamCATchers, Schepenhuisstraat 17, 9000 Ghent, Belgium

DreamCATchers often organizes events like "Halloween for Kids" and "How to Make Dreamcatchers."

Enjoy the cat café!

P.S. When you're in Ghent, you should also visit De Poezenboot, a cat shelter on a boat.