Product Service Systems: Japan's Cat Cafés
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto 
on 04.27.08
We love product service systems, where you borrow or rent instead of own. On April Fools Day we showed Puppy The World, a PPS where one can rent a dog; Now we present Neko JaLaLa, or the Cat Café. You don't get to rent the cat, but you get to join them for tea while catz loll around. After all, cats are like tribbles; rubbing them makes you feel good. It is only in the morning that you pay with your skin. One customer says "When it comes to having cats, it's a burden. I work and I don't have the time to take care of them in a responsible manner," but thinks cat-gazing is "a way to relax and let go of my stress." Others note that it is a big help for people without time or space to have their own.
"I always used to play with cats back home, but now I can't, since I live on my own," says Yuka Sato in the CSM. "I wish I could live together with cats like this."
And, for Cute Overload and Lolcatz fans, we provide links to two Japanese websites for people who cannot get to the cafe and just want to look at cute cats. http://hatchan-nikki.com/ and http://scomu.jp/makocat/)
All via ::Christian Science Monitor via ::Planetizen
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If people were taking these cats home, I'd say it was a horrible idea. It's stressful for animals to be tossed around from home to home. But, since they all stay in one location, and are being taken care of and the people come to them, it's a nice idea.
The cats, some of which would otherwise be homeless have a nice place to live, are taken care of and fed, and are social with people.
This would be the best thing ever for Siamese cats. As near as i can tell all of them need near constant attention.