If you’re a fan of all things feline, the UAE’s first-ever cat cafe, Ailuromania, is a must-visit. Located a short walk from Jumeirah Beach hotel on Jumeirah Beach Road, the cafe is a great spot for a midday coffee catch-up with friends or family – as long as cat allergies aren’t an issue.
Visitors can enjoy light meals and tasty drinks in the company of more than a dozen furry friends. Sandwiches, salads and pastas are on offer, along with fresh fruit juices, teas and coffees. Cakes, ice creams and macaroons are available for dessert.
The cafe houses cats of various breeds, sizes and personalities. Some curl up on the couch and doze for hours, others sit perched on a chair beside you or under the tables by your feet. Some even like to jump from shelf to shelf along the cafe’s wall, which is decorated with cute portraits of the resident cats.
If you have any experience with cats, you’ll know that it’s not always easy for two of them to become friends. But hissing standoffs are a rare sight at Ailuromania, where the cats are all quite accustomed to one another, and seem to enjoy lounging side-by-side on a shaggy rug in the cafe. Visitors can even sit on majlis-style cushions and stroke the kitties as they snooze.
Parents need not worry about taking their children to the cat cafe – the felines hardly react to kids. And with the exception of one of the naughtier ones – a frisky tabby named Tigger, who likes to hop on tables and nip at food if it’s left unattended – the cats are generally reserved, verging on lethargic. There are some rules to observe: no feeding the cats, waking them or entering the roped-off room lined with litter boxes and cushioned beds where most of them sleep.
• Ailuromania is located in Umm Suqeim 3 on Jumeirah Beach Road. For reservations, call 04 321 6661 or book online at www.ailuromania.com. There is a Dh50 minimum spend charge per person
hlodi@thenational.ae
