Cat Cafe Opens in New York City

NEW YORK (Aug. 19) - Dressed in a tuxedo, Simba sat at the front of one of
Manhattan's newest dining establishments and nodded at people who greeted him.
Then he yawned, began to roll on the floor and lick his paws. That's acceptable
behavior at the Meow Mix Cafe, a new eatery designed especially for cats and
their human owners.

Simba, an 8-month-old kitten, was joined by about two dozen other tabbies,
Persians and Burmese for a feast at Tuesday's grand opening of the cafe, which
is owned by the Meow Mix Company, a Secaucus, N.J.-based cat food maker.

 

AP
Singer and actress Eartha Kitt and a friend celebrate the opening of the Meow
Mix Cafe on Aug. 17.  
 

"Why not take your cat out for dinner?'' asked Simba's owner, Leah Thompson,
19. "There's always things for dogs, but never cats.''

The midtown restaurant serves Meow Mix packets for its feline customers with
corresponding dishes to satisfy human palates. "Deep Sea Delight'' mackerel for
cats is paired with tuna rolls for cat owners; "Upstream Dream'' salmon for
felines corresponds with mini crab cakes for humans.

Meow Mix president and CEO Richard Thompson said the feline-friendly restaurant
has two main rules: no dogs and no catnip, which must be checked at the door.

"Our goal is to keep cats happy,'' Thompson said. "The idea is that you can
bring them and start socializing them.''

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