Black cats get new life at cafe in Wuhan

There are two known ways to forget about one's troubles in life: music and a cat.

At the Hey Cat Cafe in Wuhan, Hubei province, you can have both. About 30 furry creatures, each wearing a red burp cloth with its name on it, welcomed and served guests.

The feline employees were all stray black cats, most of which had been abandoned by their owners and rescued by caring people. Once they struggled to survive in the crowded and chaotic city. Now they have smoothed out their pain and rebuilt their faith in humanity. And while curing themselves, the cats have lifted spirits of many city dwellers.

The cafe, or "Black Cat Re-Employment Service Center", as the boss calls it, is run by the Wuhan Small Animal Protection Association. One of the first nonprofit cat cafes in China, it opened in September 2021. Manager Du Fan, 41, said all the business income will be used to help homeless animals.

Du is also director of the association. He said that by opening the black cat cafe, he wants to break the prejudice against black cats, which are seen as inauspicious and even creepy in many films and TV operas.

Over the last 17 years, a lot of people have come to Du to adopt cats, but many would tell him they didn't want a black one.

"Actually, in traditional Chinese culture, black cats can exorcise evil spirits and bring luck. They should be mascots," Du said.

He added that he hoped the cafe would be a platform for people to learn about cats and promote the idea of animal protection.

[Video by Liu Kun/China Daily]