The following story has been updated to reflect the moved opening date.

Tabby & Fidos cat cafe will open in Bowling Green in mid-April, according to the owners. The cat cafe will be located on 300 N. Main St. 

The original planned opening date was April 4, but that date has now been moved back. The owners did not provide a new exact date.

“Our goal is to provide a relaxing place for guests to interact and meet our rescue cats but also provide a loving, temporary place for them to live while awaiting their forever homes. Our shop offers accessories, merchandise and a variety of both human & pet treats,” the business description reads on Google.

Cat cafes originated in Taipei, Taiwan in 1998 and expanded throughout Japan. The first cat cafe to open in Japan was in Osaka in 2004. Japan is now home to over 150 cat cafes, according to Cat Cafe SD. 

Cat cafes have since spread worldwide, with some locations in Korea, Austria, Spain and the United Kingdom. The United States opened their first permanent cat cafe, Cat Town Cafe, in 2014 in Oakland, California. 

Despite possible concerns with food service regulations, there are now 125 cat cafes in the United States, according to CNN. In Ohio, there are currently only four cat cafes, located in Cleveland, Dayton, Mason and Columbus. 

Cat cafes are a space where customers can purchase foods or drinks while spending time with rescue cats as they reside in the space until they find their permanent homes. 

Within these cafes, there is a separation between the cafe portion and where the cats reside. Some locations also have a booking system to control the cat-to-person ratio and ensure the cafe doesn’t have more people than can be seated, said CNN. 

Taylor Perley, a fourth year communication major at BGSU, said they think cat cafes are a good way to “help boost awareness and try to get cats to be adopted out.”

“Bowling Green is known for having many abandoned cats and sometimes the shelters cannot take them in due to being at full capacity, so I can see how it will be helpful for that sort of thing (rehoming cats),” they said. 

Jennifer Attah, a second-year student, said she thinks cat cafes can help benefit students who cannot have pets but may want or need that sort of companionship. 

Not only do some students at Bowling Green think the cat cafe will help the cats in the neighborhood and students who are looking for some form of a pet relationship, but also that the addition will help Bowling Green’s economy. 

Zach Buhrow, a second-year supply chain management major, said he thinks “since it’s a new idea, there won’t be much competition with other businesses.” 

Bowling Green currently has many small businesses that each have their own take on the cafe “look.” Buhrow said since the cat cafe is “unique enough, it will bring people who wouldn’t go to a normal cafe to this location.” 

“I think it could bring in new customers to the cafe scene in Bowling Green,” he said.