Cat Café in Japan Closes After Violating Cruelty-to-Animals Laws

A cat café in Tokyo was recently shut down for animal neglect and unhygienic practices.

Japanese cat cafe closed down over neglect fears https://t.co/chQZKP6swk

— The Guardian (@guardian) April 22, 2016

The café had initially applied to keep just 10 cats, yet more than 60 cats were found when an inspection took place in December.

Investigators found that the 30-square-meter café in Tokyo was not able to give adequate care to these animals and that the establishment had violated Japan’s animal-welfare act. Many of the cats were elderly and in bad health. Because of the cramped conditions that the cats were living in, illnesses readily spread among them. There were also several complaints from visitors about nasty smells coming from the premises.

Furthermore, the inspectors found that more than 40 cats displayed cold symptoms, and they saw little opportunity for the animals to exercise because of the café’s insufficient space and extremely crowded conditions.

Animal lovers should avoid these types of establishments, where animals may be distressed or maltreated.