Are There Cat Cafes Worth The Visit In Yogyakarta?

ThePetsDialogue was in Indonesia this month with a mission at hand, to sniff out the situation of animals and Pets, in a whole new environment and culture. In case you were wondering, our sunny island Singapore is not the only country to introduce Cafes with a touch of fur lovin’, and this trend has been sprouting overseas too! Pet cafes have long served therapeutic means for us human to unwind with friends and family, with the company of Feline or Canine Pals.

Cats and Coffee Yogya

Thus begins this series of experiences we had in Indonesia, and our first stop was in Yogyakarta, also commonly referred to as Yogya or Jogja for short. Yogya is a cultural and historical spot in Indonesia so rich in tradition, with the streets now littered with tourists. Thankfully the slow-paced, (slightly back-dated) quiet life of locals have not changed preserving the way of living such as food stalls on wheels and massive street basking. For the fact that the only animals we came across were very skinny stray Cats and a bird or Rooster in every home, it sparked our curiosity even further…

What are the Cat Cafes In Yogyakarta like?  

Cats and Coffee

 Upon our research beforehand on the locations of these Cat cafes, there were just two possible venues, and to our dismay one of which has already closed down (stay tuned for the name of that Cat Café). Fortunately for us, there was still one other location, Cats and Coffee!

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Located slightly off North of Yogya, these streets were away from the tourist hot spots (which was quite a good break for us) and near to a couple of Universities. Surprisingly enough, the roads were a little cleaner, buildings had proper structure and we spotted a few sneaker and skate shops that reminded us of home ☺

Finding The Café

We got there by GoJek, a very popular form of Uber or Grab like transport service in Indonesia with incredible rates to boot (we will elaborate further as we uncover our Indonesia trip series) and we almost missed the place! As we alighted and stood there in the streets, figuring out which shop house it could be, turning around only to see an ENORMOUS sign that read Cats and Coffee, in graffiti style.

You can't miss this graffiti sign

There was a simple seating area with motorcycle parking for resting or catching a quick smoke (no smoking in a Pet Café please!) prior to entering the Café. Peek a little closer into the slightly tinted windows and you can see the nicely furnished Café and its Feline hosts. Granted that it was a weekday and around 3pm (that’s 4pm in Singapore time), that café had two small groups of local patrons.

What To Expect

As you enter the first door, you will be greeted by a shoe rack on the right to place your shoes, hand sanitizer, and a list of rules stated on the second door. These rules were pretty mandatory and basic, meant for the safety of its Feline hosts and human patrons, even a 5 year old child could abide.
The rules include :

Sanitising hands before entry
No petting when Cat is eating or asleep
No photography with flash
No disturbing of Cat 's head with an object
No pulling of Cat's tail
No squeezing of Cat

Basic rules to abide before entering the Cat cafe. 

So we left our shoes on the racks, cleaned our hands up, and headed on inside. Oh yes, you are allowed to wear your socks inside. The Café had a rustic wooden vibe you’d find in most Hipster cafes, with art on the walls that we could only presume was done up personally by the owners or staff of the Café. The kitchen and counter are separated from the cats with a half partition swing door.

Rates And Charges

The shop was lit only with spotlights, making it seem a little gloomy. We approached the main counter to get ourselves a beverage and check out the rates, most of our local Cat Cafes have entry fees that go on hourly basis, i.e. $15 for the first hour, and $5 for subsequent hours. To our pleasant surprise, there was no entry fee here, purchasing a drink or snack entitles you to stay on as long as you’d like, cuddling and petting Kitties to your heart’s content.

Menu

It wasn’t a very extensive menu, like everyone would say, “Never head to a Pet Café and expect a 5-star meal”. Because the focus of Pet cafes aren’t exactly their food, they are simply providing a therapeutic session for humans to be around furry companions, while being able to enjoy simple beverage or snack!

Order your Food and Drinks here!

Cats and Coffee’s menu had an array of Juices, Iced or Hot Coffee and fried finger food like Fries and Wedges. Glad to say that their coffee wasn’t half bad, decent latte (with milk froth), this was a nice highlight because the locals enjoy their coffee as it is, simple, without the use of fancy coffee machines. Prices on the menu were really affordable, you could score a nice cup of Latte at about RP 28,000.

The Cats In The Café

On to the stars of the Café, which was only about 4 Cats, and mostly mixed except for a Peke faced short hair. The Café had 2 window corner spots laid with carpet, bean bags and a small table, and 2 other tables with a long sofa chairs on one side, and chairs on the opposite side. Cats are kept entertained with ceiling instalments for climbing and resting, a peek-a-boo floor structure, and wooden interior furnishing.

Feeding spot and a row of private potty huts

Cats also had individual tiny huts to do their business in private near the back door. It could be due to the hot weather, and because the Café is nicely air conditioned, most of our Feline hosts were lazing around. Some of them were also pretty shy, so we only got our share of giving them some stroking whenever we could, because we wouldn’t wanna stress them out.

Pretty but shy young Tabby here.

Was It Worth The Trip?

The Cafe is a nicely designed space to give patrons a homey feel, plus the coffee wasn’t half bad (we really enjoy a cuppa). We understand that this isn’t a petting-zoo, hence we shouldn’t be forcing or expecting the Cats to do anything. One of the rules entailed no touching while they are eating (understandable), so there wasn’t much to do except wait. However we must say that we were quite disappointed with the lack of Cats in the Café, especially after getting a sneak peek via Instagram and Facebook. There should have been a lot more beautiful and sociable kitty hosts. 

Cats are known to sleep alot, and maybe We came at nap time...

Where did all the other Cats go?

Please come back another time...

We decided to make a move and leave for our next destination. That was when we stumbled into the mystery of why there were only 4 cats on the Café floor. Through the door at the back of the Café is where the toilet is, and we were greeted by cages and cages of Cats there were, snoozing or meowing at us. So that’s where they were!

The wooden interiors and Cat furniture of the Cafe

All in all, Cats and Coffee offers a very attractive price range for Food and Beverages with no entry charge. Believe it or not, we spent about RP 60,000 there for two beverages (that’s approximately SGD 6.70). As for the experience, we got our hopes high for more Cats, judging from photographs on social media, but got a little let down in the end. In conclusion, it was still good getting some company from Cats and enjoying time away from the tourist buzz. If you love Cats, and you’re dizzy from the noise and populated streets of Yogya, you could escape to Cats and Coffee for a little peace and quiet while you are in Yogya for sure!

Address

Cats and Coffee

 Jl. Bougenville, Caturtunggal, Kec. Depok, Kabupaten Sleman

Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia

Opening Hours

2.00pm to 11.00pm Daily

Last order 10.00pm

Contact

Tel - +62 852-6802-9822

Facebook  

Instagram 

Miaw Shake Cat Café Offically Closed

The only other Cat café we were hoping to visit was Miaw Shake Cat Café, yet another Cat café claiming to be the first in Yogyakarta (not too sure what’s going on here).

Jl. Pakuncen, Pakuncen, Wirobrajan, Kota Yogyakarta

Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta 55253, Indonesia

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The above address is where Miaw Shake Cat Café used to be, and while their Instagram page’s last post was in 2015, their Facebook page has already been taken down. Shop was also not found. What a pity, it seemed like they had an array of Cats like Norwegian Forests and the likes of it.

Well, that makes Cats and Coffee the ONE and only Cat café in Yogyakarta currently!

Still asleep :(

Stay tuned with us as we uncover the many sights and sounds to the life that Animals and Pets lead in Yogya and Jakarta, giving you honest insights and review of our experiences. Indonesia Trip series articles :

Cafes

The Cat Cabin – Jakarta

Cutie Cats Café – Jakarta

Animal Markets

Patsy Animal Market – Yogyakarta

Pramuka Bird Market – Jakarta

Jatinegara Market – Jakarta

Zoo

Gembira Loka Zoo – Yogyakarta

You may wanna check out the local Cat Cafes here in Singapore first, here’s a complete guide:

The Complete And Updated List Of Cat Cafes In Singapore

Interesting looking Norwegian-Tuxedo of Cats and Coffee.

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Disclaimer

This article was written with informational purposes, as you know, we’d love to share our collective research and experiences as fellow Pet owners and lovers. It is not meant to alternate in any way as advice or diagnosis of Professionals. If you do wish to use any of our published information, you are welcome to contact us!