Our pets are our BFFs. We can always count on our little pals to keep us company and cheer us up. As pet owners know all too well, spending time with animals has the power to lift our spirits and melt away stress.
Whether you have pets or not, sister cafes Catfe and The Bunny Cafe in Vancouver provide just that: an opportunity for everyone to experience the warm fuzzies of animal companionship. These cafes host an ever-changing roster of adoptable rescue animals that you can visit with and even paw-sibly adopt.
The concept of the animal cafe, which originated in Taipei with the opening of Cat Flower Cafe in the late 1990s, was born out of the desire to create a social space for patrons to interact with their favourite animals while enjoying coffee and snacks. In North America, these cafes have since evolved to benefit the animals themselves by facilitating the adoption of displaced and abandoned pets.
Catfe was the first cat cafe to open in Western Canada back in December 2015. Located on the second floor of International Village Mall in Vancouver’s Chinatown district, Catfe is both a temporary foster environment for rescue cats in search of their forever homes, and a bright and welcoming space for cat lovers to spend quality time with friendly felines. The cafe offers a variety of cat-themed vegetarian and vegan snacks including catpuccinos and meowcarons, in addition to loads of fun meowchandise and pet supplies in store.
In the highest of celebrity endorsements, Adele gave Catfe a shoutout during her concert at Rogers Arena in 2016, following an impromptu visit to the cat cafe which made international headlines.
Since its grand opening, Catfe has adopted nearly 1500 cats into loving homes. Because the cat cafe had been so successful in its efforts to rehome rescue cats, the owners of Catfe decided to see if they could do the same for other animals in need.
The idea for a bunny-centric cafe was hatched out of Catfe’s bunny 'hop-up' event in 2018, held at the cat cafe in partnership with Rabbitats Rescue Society. The outstanding success of the pop-up led to the birth of Vancouver’s first bunny cafe in June 2021.
Located on Venables Street at the corner of Commercial Drive, The Bunny Cafe shares a like-minded mission with Catfe, providing a therapeutic space to visit and socialize with rescue bunnies, while promoting adoption and educating about rabbit care. Each visitor is given a snack cup of greens to feed the buns, fostering a paw-sitive experience. The cafe is fully vegan, partnered with local bakeries to provide tasty sweet and savory snacks, and the shop offers an array of bunny-themed gifts and a wide selection of rabbit toys and treats for those with bunnies at home.
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Catfe and The Bunny Cafe have launched the ultimate gift for animal lovers in Vancouver: the Cuddle Card, a prepaid punch card for discounted admission that can be used interchangeably at both cafes. The card is good for nine visits in total and is available for purchase at either location for $99 (plus GST), equaling a savings of over $44.
Even better, the Cuddle Card is transferable and can be used to cover each person in your paw-sse, or shared between multiple animal-loving friends. Or, if you pre-fur, you can keep the visits all to yourself to maximize your self-care needs with a weekly dose of animal therapy.
Purchase a Cuddle Card today at catfe.ca/shop or pick one up in person at Catfe and The Bunny Cafe.
We’ve partnered with Catfe and The Bunny Cafe to award 5 lucky winners with a Cuddle Card for use at the two cafes!
You can enter via the contest entry form below. For additional chances to win, visit Catfe and The Bunny Cafe at their websites for 10 bonus entries, and follow Catfe on Facebook and Instagram and The Bunny Cafe on Facebook and Instagram for another 25 bonus entries each.
One Catfe / The Bunny Cafe Cuddle Card (valued at $99 plus tax each) will be given to each of the five selected winners for a Total Grand Prize Value of over $500 CAD. This contest is open to British Columbia residents and closes on February 23, 2023. The contest winners will be contacted via email on this date.
