Podcasts History Witness History The first cat cafe

The first cat cafe

Published: Sept. 29, 2023, 9 a.m.

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The world's first cat cafe opened in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1998.

It started with just five street cats.

For the first few months they hardly had any visitors. Then a film crew made a TV programme about the cafe, and it eventually became a global tourist destination.

Cat cafes have become a worldwide phenomenon.

Tracy Chang, founder and owner, tells her story to Gill Kearsley.

(Photo: Inside the first cat cafe. Credit: Tracy Chang)

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