New York Cat Cafe - another attraction added to the Big Apple, albeit just a short while, is sure to capture the eyes, and hearts of many. The New York Cat Cafe is no new concept as the world's first cat cafe opened in Taiwan in 1998. There is also one in Japan which has attracted many tourists and locals. Despite its late introduction in New York this week, there is no reason to believe that the New York Cat Cafe will not hit it big time with cat lovers and coffee lovers alike.

A cat cafe is a theme cafe where its main attraction - cats - can be watched and toyed with. Generally, cat cafes are seen as a figure of indoor pet rental for guests.

With America's first cat cafe opening in New York this week, there is no doubt that the list of cat lovers in America will soon grow. Along with the uber adorable cats that guests in the cafe can take pleasure in, another enjoyable attraction in the New York cat cafe are their delicious cat-achinos, says CNN.

Hosted as a pop-up shop by pet food brand Purina One, the New York cat cafe will last only through Sunday. The New York cat cafe is packed with adorable, playful cats, who are up for adoption from April 24-28.

Currently, and for a short while located along the Bowery in Manhattan, CNN describes the line of people waiting in New York cat cafe as a rival of any fancy art gallery opening or exclusive New York City club. Despite many people thinking that delicious coffee is what brought the long line of people into the New York cat cafe, it's actually cats, or perhaps the combination of both.

Niky Roberts of the Purina One team told Mashable that their goal is not just to show that cats can be agreeable, but their goal is also to educate and showcase the health of the cats. Roberts added that this goal of theirs for the New York cat cafe is a very important priority. The Purina One team hopes that the New York cat cafe event will encourage cat health awareness and adoption.

The New York Cat Cafe had its grand opening Thursday, especially made for cat lovers and the cat-curious to revel in. During the opening, the New York Cat Cafe staff was nice enough to give away complimentary "cat'achino" cappuccinos to their guests while they introduce and talk about cat health and cat adoption for the 16 adorable cats with them.

Niky Roberts said, "The goal of what we're doing here is try to start a conversation about cat health. What better place to do that then over a cup of coffee with some friends in a café? We thought if people are going to be talking about cat health, you should be among your subjects and have cats all around you."

She added, "It's a great thing because dogs are very publicly social -- you can take your dog out and go for a walk, talk to people at the dog park -- but that's not a luxury most cat owners have, so this is a place you can talk with likeminded people about cat health and be among cats."

As the cat-lover guests at the New York Cat Cafe enjoyed their cappuccinos with cat faces drawn in the foam, they were treated to a "Cat Chat" speaker series with discussions led by a cat behaviorist, a veterinarian and other cat experts.

According to CNN, Purina ONE partnered with North Shore Animal League, a large, no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization based in Long Island, New York, in order to bring in the 16 special cats in the U.S. to stay at the café.

Shelter director for North Shore Animal League America Christina Travalja said, "So far I think we've had about four cats adopted, but on Saturday we're having an event here where we'll have our mobile unit that will have additional cats available for adoption, and we're always encouraging people to come over to the shelter in Long Island where we have over a hundred adoptable cats."

If you can't come to Manhattan for the New York Cat Cafe, you cn watch the event together with more than 5,000 people watching around the world as it was Livestreamed. Social media wise, the hashtag #CatCafe is now used for sparking conversations about the event and cat health on social media.

New York Cat Cafe pop-up shop has already had more than 3,000 mentions on Twitter. At least 30 videos were also already posted with Cat Café in the title.

 

To see the adorable kitties captured on video, watch below.