'Catfe': Vancouver's first cat café set to open Monday

A Vancouver café is hoping to entice customers with what it says is the purr-fect combination of coffee and companionship.

Catfé, which is set to open Monday, is the city's first coffee shop that allows cat lovers to curl up with a warm beverage, a tasty snack and a furry friend.

"You can buy some coffee and treats from our café, and then you can come over to the cat lounge and hang out with our resident cats," Catfé's owner, Michelle Furbacher, told CTV Vancouver.

The shop has arrangement with the B.C. SPCA that sees it temporarily house cats, with the goal of eventually finding them new homes.

"All cats at Catfé will be available for adoption, with a focus on getting cats out of shelter cages, rather than taking them out of foster homes," Furbacher wrote on her website.

Furbacher said that besides being available to customers as cute and cuddly friends, getting out of shelter cages gives the cats a safe space where they can socialize and exercise.

"When they're in such a big space like this they get to really explore and claim their own territory, and really show their personality," she said.

Cat cafés originally sprang up in Japan, and have recently made their way to Canada. While Catfé is the first of its kind in Vancouver, there are several similar offerings in eastern Canada, in cities such as Toronto and Montreal.