This is the menu from the super popular Calico cat café in Tokyo. The cats are not for eating! They are for petting! These cats make up the feline staff at the Calico and the menu introduces them to the customers. Patrons of the Calico pay about $9/hr to hang out at the café, drink tea, and pet the staff. But there are strict rules. According to the article Tokyo's cat cafés, you are not allowed to pet or hold a cat that resists, wake a sleeping cat, or bring in any outside cat food or treats, though they sell approved food for you to use to lure the cats into your empty lap. No one under fifth grade is allowed in the café. That is my favorite rule of all! No children and lots of cats for me to pet? Sounds fantastic.

I love this idea. I've been wanting to import the concept of the cat café since I first heard about it. The patrons get to enjoy some commitment-free animal companionship and the cats get more attention than any other cats in the world. I desperately want pets but I'm incapable of providing even a goldfish with a stable enough environment. Why isn't there a place I can go to just play with animals? I'd like to expand the idea to include other animals as well. Bunnies, hamsters, and parrots would all be good candidates. I am leaning toward bunnies.