NUS MBA Business Study Trip To Korea - Wednesday - Cat Cafe

My friend and I were walking down an alley at Myeongdong after dinner when she suddenly squealed... "Look at that person in the yellow catsuit... So cute..."

"Yeah...yeah... Another gimmick... Are we done shopping?" I said. "Oh wait... They're advetising a new Cat Cafe... We must go!!!"

"NO-o-o-o.... I want so sh-o-o-op....."

And so it was that we searched out the new Cafe at one of the upper floors of a shophouse....

And we almost didn't go in, mind, for my friend was a little put off by the 8,000 Won entrance fee. But she was 'won over' by the warmth of the staff and my offer of a subsidy ('"Korean Won" over' in this case, if you get what I mean)...

And I was bowled over when I stepped in. I mean, no disrespect to the pet cafes in Singapore, but we don't often see lots of cats, and the few I have been too, there are precious few dogs at non-peak hours - they depend on guests to bring their own pets to make up the numbers. This place however, was teeming with cats - I think maybe 20 of them? And they were all 'house cats', meaning they slept at the place. And, true to the dynamics of my running tiff with Lady Luck, my camera ran out of juice when we entered the place. I did manage to coax out some pics though...

We were met at the reception by a Russian Blue lounging on the counter..



Together with this guy, who later moved back to his normal resting spot....






And that's the thing. The cats, or at least some of them, were extremely active, moving all around the place, meaning that even if my camera had been fully charged, I would have difficulty taking pictures of all of them anyway - because they don't really stop to pose, and because of my lack of skill with the apparatus...



There were some who were rather more lethargic... or shall we say restful... than others though...




This guy in particular hardly moved the whole time we were there...




This cat, the 'hairless one' (the "Spinx"?), on the other hand, was super active, always wanting attention... Poor thing, though... Most of the guests preferred furry cats, so he was often ignored...



I took a picture of these guys because they looked the most like my own cat...






And this guy because, as my friend said, his fur resembled a carpet...





And these guys because they willingly posed for pictures for me....








And if you're wondering if, with 15 or so odd cats, that place, well, err.. stank, it did not at all. For it seems that the cats all seemed to know where to go...

Spot The Cat

A few days ago, I was eating some cod strips when the phone rang... I picked it up and turned to find my cat nicking a few of those... I pointed my finger at him and he ran off into my sister's room.

After finishing the call, I went into her room to chide him and found him amongst the stuffed toys. I mean, he wasn't really trying camouflage, was he?



Ok... To those of you who he successfully managed to con, here's some help... Which animal has moved?

Bliss Amidst The Madding Crowd

I think it was once said somewhere that true happiness is being able to find peace even when everything around you is a-fluster....

Apologies for the recent dullness in my life (as opposed to the breakneck, globe-trotting one Jac is currently leading, for those of you who read the Slog Reviews), but that is what I thought of when I found this cat at a crowded bus-stop along Sims Avenue during morning peak hour. Apparently, it just wanted to bathe in the morning sun, and nothing, not even a horde of people waiting anxiously for their bus, was going to stop it...





Of course, if you are going to get a tan than you have to make sure it is an even one over your whole body. It was no different with this cat...



And if the sun in your eyes is too bright, all you have to do is shield them...




Don't we sometimes long for carefree moments like this?

The Other Kitty

Because my brown cat is a lot more obliging, and a lot more comfortable being held and cuddled and stroked, he gets most of the attention from friends and guests alike. Indeed, he is the one who has to do the PR work when my cats are the focus of conversations, considering letting guests and strangers pat and carry him, gamely putting on a show of enjoying the attention, which to be fair, he does at times.

But that does not meant that my black cat does not have character. He is not featured on this blog as much simply because he is so elusive, and dare I say, paranoid and anti-social - which makes picture-snapping really difficult.

But, as I said, he does have his eccentricities. For one, he is hardly content to lie on his tummy like his older 'brother', spending more time on his back or sitting.




He is also not slow to improvise and make use of tools and/or accessories. For one thing, he is best friends with the magnetic doorstop, using it both as an unorthdox head support....






As well as a footrest....

A Particularly Pampered Pussy

I think that different people have different ways of expressing how and when they want to be pampered.

And so it is with my brown cat that when he lies flat on his side, he is asking to be stroked...




It is fine by him whether it be it by hand or foot (usually the latter, for it is usually more convenient for us to continue with what we intended to do after we walk past)...



For he really likes his little rubs!

Random Pictures Of Pussies

Apologies for the title but I'm going to milk that 'key' word for all it's worth, such are the hits it gives me in terms of keyword searches....

Just a few more pictures of my furry friends, who my sister says are hers actually. So, once more, shamelessly.... When I talk about one of my cats, it's actually my sister's pussy we're talking about (now, what's this going to do for my hits?)

Anyhow, this is a picture of them randomly lazing about, as befits the title of this post....



Though the above be is a common occurence, on some occasions, they exhibit quite startling symmetry...

Surmounting Cat-astrophes

If At First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again....

That is one of the philosphies which I truly subscribe to. I believe that there are few things more noble than perseverence and the human spirit.

So it is with a chuckle that I say that these are qualities which are epitomized no better than my pussy (I could have said "Cat" but then who would read my blog?).

It was in the wee hours of a Saturday night, when my 72-year-old Dad, seized with a bout of fatigue and sadism, decided to retire himself for the night without retiring the sofa to my ever patient cat, who, for a few hours, had been waiting with admirable forebearance nearby for my Dad to vacate the chair.

Maybe my Dad knew that too, and decided cheekily to frustrate my poor pussy (yes, I'm calling him that again). So he put various paraphernalia on the chair so as to impede the long-suffering feline. Imagine his surprise and disappointment when he saw what had happened...



But my cat is, if anything, stoic and uncomplaining, so he was not going to let a few contraptions underfoot prevent him from enjoying his repose at his favourite spot.



So there he was... Resting contentedly...

Until my Dad came out from his room to use the toilet and decided to watch a bit of television hereafter....He spotted little fluffy looking pleadingly but showed little sign of being moved as he shoo-ed the cat away and reclaimed his rightful spot on the throne...

But it was only a while before the old man felt sleepy again. But, cognizant of my cat's resourcefulnes and fortitude, he decided to see how far my pussy (yes, all you random word searchers, this is for you) would go. So he put an even bigger obstacle for kitty to surmount....



Most people would expect that latest setback to be an outright CATastrophe for kitty. And for a while, it looked like he felt that way too, as he retreated to a corner to ponder life and its blatant unfairness, looking patently rueful...




But No, this cat of mine does not cry over spilt milk, or an overturned chair, for that matter.

If you're going to be hard done by, at least go down, or out, fighting.... Here he is, hatching his latest strategy....

Notice the blaze of determination in his eyes?



"I think I've got it," he seems to be thinking...



"All right... On the count of three"...



"And upppp...."



"Ugh... Not too cool like this..."



"But hmmm....This is better...."



"If I just shift that paw a bit...."



"It's quite comfy actually...!"



"Let's see if I can lie down... I can!"



"A-aahh...Mmmph..."



I'm full of admiration for my cat. But my Dad just bought a few unopened durians home yesterday. If I were kitty, I wouldn't walk about looking too obviously smug...