Austria's first cat cafe opened Friday in Vienna, which boasts more than 300 years of cafe culture, with the Japanese owner and five cats welcoming customers who flocked to the shop.Owner Takako Ishimitsu, a 47-year-old woman from Gifu Prefecture who has lived in the Austrian capital for more than 20 years, said, ''I wanted to open a cafe that has a Japanese touch and which does not exist in Austria.''
After going through negotiations with officials of the Vienna city hall who were concerned from a hygiene standpoint, Ishimitsu was finally able to open the cafe with five cats she got from a local humane society.
''There are cat lovers in any country. I think (the cat cafe) will be well received in Vienna as well,'' she said.
Cat cafes, which are said to have originated in Taiwan, have become popular in Japan in recent years.
