Joining Japan’s unorthodox Hedgehog and Owl cafes, the Capy Neko Cafe is the next one to watch. As its name suggests, you’ll find cats and a capybara living in perfect harmony here. Thanks to their generally passive dispositions, the two make an unlikely yet cordial pair.
Some resident cats you can find include Emma, Dan, Cream, Rust, and Silver—all of which are short-haired breeds, with the exception of Cream, who’s a Ginger Siberian.
The star of the show, of course, is none other than Tawasi, the cafe’s adorable capybara whose daily routine is to “take naps on the sofa with a cat”. For the uninitiated, the mysterious capybara is the world’s biggest rodent—mellow and unassuming, it’s what I like to call my favourite gentle giant. And as it turns out, capybaras and cats do make great friends after all.
In an added effort to contribute to the cat community at large, Capy Neko Cafe is also working with locals to source for foster owners for protected cats. As such, the cafe will act as a medium through which keen owners-to-be can interact with cats and get to learn more about those up for fostering.
Above all, let’s all practise responsible tourism by conducting ourselves well amidst even the most exotic of animals. Regardless of who you’re there to visit, I’d like to encourage anyone visiting the Capy Neko Cafe to be mindful when handling the furry ones, ensure that you’re not feeding the animals anything you’re not supposed to and to refrain from bringing unnecessary stress to the animals.
Price: ¥1,100 (approx S$13.83) for half an hour slot, ¥2,200 (approx S$27.65) for one hour slot
Opening Hours: 12pm – 6pm daily, closed on Wednesdays