Coffee, kitties collide at cafe

FELINE mad? Then America's first cat cafe is purr-fect for you. New Yorkers looking for a "paws" from the hustle and bustle are queuing to sip free coffee and stroke cats.

Open for just four days until tomorrow, Cat Cafe in the Lower East Side sponsored by pet food company Purina ONE, allows visitors to stroke, play and adopt 21 rescue shelter cats.

The pop-up has attracted hundreds of feline lovers, families and hip young things drawn to the latest craze in a city constantly searching for the next big thing.

Already popular in Japan, Taiwan, parts of Asia and Europe, New York and North America are late to the cat-cafe game. But organisers have been taken aback by the hit response.

Visitors are treated to a free cup of coffee: the cat'achino decorated with a foam kitten face being the most popular – and a snack such as a muffin or slice of pound cake.

Seven of the cats were adopted on the first day and organisers are confident that all the cats and maybe more will go to new homes when the cafe closes at 7pm tomorrow.

Medical student Julie Schoonover, 24, loves cats but her roommate is allergic.

"Purring – there's something really healing about it," said Schoonover. "My ideal thing would be to have a cat cafe and do my work in here," she joked.

Visits are limited to an hour to keep the queue moving and not overwhelm the cats, who are taken to an animal shelter van for naps when they get tired. The room is done up with easy chairs, cat toys and an area for children.

There are framed photographs of the cats on the wall, telling you their names. "Will you be her forever play date?" asks the caption. – AFP