The rise of cat cafes and pet hubs in Australian retail

“We’re all animal lovers and wanted to do something around our passion,” says Elika Halim, 20, who’s studying to be a paralegal while helping run Cha & Zak’s, a cosy cat cafe, dog and cat groomers, pet daycare and retail centre, in the new development, Marrickville Traders.

“We’re a one-stop shop for pets, and word seems to be spreading; we’re getting busier and busier,” she says.

“Being with animals is so good for your mental wellbeing, which is great in a precinct like this, with so many people working.

“We also run a lot of events as well, including doggie birthday parties.”

Experiential pet retail injects new energy into mixed-use precincts

Happily, the cats and dogs are kept separate in the business’s premises in the 12,000-square-metre heritage warehouse project in Marrickville. As a pet services provider, it’s added a completely different dimension to the other creatives making the place home.

“We’re delighted to have them here,” says Ahmad Assaad, building manager at JVMC Holdings, the property company behind Marrickville Traders, which also developed Precinct 75 in St Peters. 

“We’ve had a lot of good feedback from customers using their services and everyone’s very excited about it. There have been a lot of people staring through the windows, and then going in to play with the cats there. It’s a great business.”

Cat cafes are an idea that originated in Taiwan and then exploded in popularity worldwide when it was picked up by the Japanese, and they are now becoming increasingly sought after in Australia. 

With cats being the second most popular animal in Australia behind dogs, and 34 per cent of households owning at least one, there are roughly 5.3 million being kept in houses around the nation, according to RSPCA research. 

The first cat cafe to open in Australia was the Cat Cafe in the Melbourne CBD – now relocated to Carlton – in 2014. It also offers a home to abandoned cats, and gives customers the chance to adopt them. 

Many others have followed, including at least two more in Melbourne and now around seven more in Sydney. One of the most popular is PawHaus which opened in Enfield – just coming up to its second anniversary – which also features rescue cats available for adoption. A newer branch now operates at Wentworth Point.

“All of our cats are from the charity Kittie Kat Rescue and we’ve had 109 cats adopted since we started the business,” says manager Cedar Boniface, 24.

“I contributed to that too, adopting two of them – a little calico-tabby female called Soup and a ginger boy, Spiffo – in my first two days working here. 

“Customers pay $1 a minute and can choose to stay in the cat cuddle room for as long as they like, while we also have a dog-friendly cafe. It’s lovely as you come here, hang with the animals and get showered with affection.”

In addition, there are now at least two cat cafes in Brisbane, one in Perth cuteley named Purrth, one on the Gold Coast, and one in Adelaide.

Specialist cat historian Jodie Stewart, the author of the just-released book, The Cats of Australia: From Shipmates to Soulmates, is delighted to see the trend taking off to occupy an ever-expanding footprint of Australian commercial real estate. 

“It’s a relatively new phenomenon but I think more and more people are discovering the joy of sitting and having a cat purr in your lap,” she says. “Cat cafes give you instant access to that kind of intimate experience.