Editor’s Note: It is apparent that I have became behind in updating my blog. However now that University has broken off for Christmas break and I have a whole new adventure to live to tell the tale from, now is as good as a time as any to write.
– Jess
On Friday 16th December I went on another adventure. My last adventure was a weekend trip to London during Black Friday. However my last trip abroad hasn’t been since July and that is almost a lifetime away in flight time!
I met my well travelled sister Abbi at Gatwick, we both boarded our evening flight bound for the Italian city of Milan. Alike my previous trip to Amsterdam in February, this trip was booked when the stress of education and work called for Travel Therapy.
Flight time was roughly 1hr 20minutes to Milan Malpensa. Return flight from Gatwick cost roughly £75 with easyJet and a bus from the airport to the city’s central station cost €8 single which departs every 20minutes (no pre-booking required).
Keen for a quirky place to dine for brunch/lunch we noted the best places in Milan to eat. Surprisingly a Cat Cafe is in the top #300 of all places to eat in Milan and #24 out of 439 places for dessert. Once you visit this place you can immediately see the hype!
Now, Cat Cafes or ‘Cat Therapy’ are not a new idea for eateries. In 1998 the world’s first cat cafe opened in Taipei, Taiwan; it was known as Cat Flower Garden. Eventually the idea expanded in 2004 in Osaka, Japan. Since then the idea has made its way across the globe, including the United Kingdom:
- Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium, London
- Kitty Cafe, Nottingham
- Maison de Moggy, Edinburgh (Scotland’s first cat cafe)
Unfortunately this concept hasn’t progressed onto my patch of land in Northern Ireland. Hey, maybe once I graduate I’ll open NI’s first?
So what actually is a Cat Cafe? Well its as the name suggests, a cafe with cats, in most you can pet and interact with the cats over a cup of tea or like we did in Milan over paninis and Amaretto Lattes!
Milan’s Crazy Cat Cafe is the best. I am a strong believer that pets can provide more of a support to humans than actual humans. I’ve grown up with pets most of my life and always found comfort in that. This cafe is relatively smaller than I expected however it was cosy, theres small sofas and tables with seats to sit for food. There is also an area where the cats all seemed to gravitate to by the staff; known as Cat’s Staff here. I got talking to one of the staff who said:
This is the cat’s home. We are their guests.
This was reassuring. Considering it has been debated whether or not this type of environment is safe for a cat to be in. At Crazy Cat Cafe the cats had access to their own separate space through cat flaps, toys, baskets and soft cushions to sleep in.
There is also an adorable cat here with one eye that walked across our table on arrival. Now for the food, for €21 (about £17) we got two large and tasty paninis and two very delicious Amaretto Lattes. This price also included the €1 each for Cat Therapy which I find cute. There are vegan and vegetarian options available for lunch as well as a range of meat options, the staff speak perfect English, and desserts looked amazing however we did not get to try them.
This cafe also sells kitty merchandise like coffee cup sets and quirky cat related jewellery. At the door there are lint rollers incase you get covered in cat hair. You can interact as little or as much as you like with the cats, they don’t all purr around you at once whilst you scoff a whole sandwich, don’t worry!
Thinking on paying a visit? The Crazy Cat Cafe is located not far from Central Station however best accessed via P.za Cincinnato tram stop, a 90 min ‘urban’ metro pass costs €1.50 or buy an all day one for €4.50 at metro stations.
Found Astrxy 