Daugavpils boasts the only cat café in Latvia

Feline lovers can find bliss there

Daugavpils municipal website was proud to announce today that the city now counts with a cat café called “Kotoffski” among its attractions, the first such establishment in all of Latvia. Those who are allergic to cat fur might want to steer clear of the place but everyone else is bound to rejoice at the opportunity to have coffee or tea in a feline company.

The first cat café in the world was opened in 1998 in Taiwan

It seems that the city’s new mayor (who assumed office 3 months ago) Igors Prelatovs is also a cat aficionado since he was among the attendants at the official opening yesterday, 30 September. However, the café first started operating back in March, right before the implementation of anti-epidemic measures.

The current mayor’s involvement with the cat café goes back to 2018 when he was a member of the evaluation committee for the project presented as part of applications for the “Impulsa” municipal grant programme. Today he considers the business project to have been a success, lavishing praise on the cosy environment and creative reception.

Despite the restrictions, the popularity of “Kotoffski” (44 Cietokšņa Street) has been steadily growing and the café owner Anita Ozoliņa reported that people have been making trips from other Latvian places with the purpose of visiting her establishment. Customers can sit have a beverage or a meal and play with the cats.

For many people petting the felines has a therapeutic and calming effect. The trend of cat (and other animals) cafés, although begun in Taiwan, was really popularized in Japan, where people are often unable to keep pets due to the relatively small sizes of the apartments there.

As for Daugavpils, its “Impulsa” grant programme for young entrepreneurs is continuing and this year a record 37 projects have been submitted for evaluation.