When I think of a cat café, the first thing that comes to mind is a smiling barista saying, “Would you like some sprinkles on your toxoplasmosis?” Getty ImagesEver find yourself sitting in your local café, in a comfy chair, with a hot frothy coffee in hand and an indulgent sugared fancy, and thinking: “You know what would make this even better? A bloody great big owl.”Well, if you do, you’re not alone. For animal-filled coffee houses, or “petting cafés”, are already big business in Japan (with more than a hundred of them in Tokyo alone) and are making inroads into café culture here (you can find “cat cafés” in London, Edinburgh, Nottingham and Newcastle). These pet-mad emporia have, however, recently hit the headlines for the wrong…

Source: The Times September 11, 2016 23:03 UTC