Turkey’s First Cat Cafes: The Beginning of a Trend

The “cats and coffee” duo is now a globally recognized concept. But the days when the first cat cafes in Turkey opened their doors are not far off — the early 2010s, with a somewhat timid “will it hold?” question. He clung to it, trending over it. Here is the story of Turkey’s cat cafe — a cultural beginning that we told in 9 stops.

1The first idea came from Japan.

The concept of the cat cage was first born in Taipei in 1998, but spread around the world in Japan in the 2000s. Tokyo’s culture of not being able to keep pets in small apartments created the need to “give money, spend a few hours with a cat.” News reached Turkey through social media and travel blogs in the 2010s. The cat-filled streets of Istanbul were the natural laboratory of this concept.

2Istanbul hosted its first openings in 2013-2014.

Several entrepreneurs opened cat cages in Kadıköy and Beyoğlu. The first examples were small, 30-40 m² spaces with nests for 8-12 cats. The menu was not much different from standard cafes: coffee, lemonade, simple desserts. The feeling of difference was in the cats — the calm cats crawling around on your desk, on your knee, on the shelf. The first customers came in mostly out of curiosity, with 80percent returning the following week.

3The social media boom has grown the business.

Instagram’s rise to the top in Turkey in 2014-2015 has officially made cat cafes a phenomenon. The “selfie with a cat” trend, a hashtag of every cafe, a character of every cat. “Anatolian Cat Café” in Ankara, “Neko Café” in Izmir, “Cafe Cat” in Istanbul — venues that opened one after another. By 2016, there were over30 cat cafes in Turkey.

4Each café had its own cat team.

The first models were about “save stray cats, bring them to the cafe, adopt them”. Some cafes still maintain this pattern: cats are offered to prospective adopters as they mingle with customers. Other cafes have their own permanent cat crew; names such as Caramel, Beads, Cotton are the face of the place. Each cat is a character, some with thousands of followers on social media.

5Rules clarified: cleaning, entry fee, touch limits.

Over time, informal but well-established rules have been established for Turkish cat cafes. Hand disinfection at the entrance, hourly entrance fee (in the band of 150-250 TL in 2026), not to interrupt the sleep of cats, separation of the food service area and the cat area. In some cafes, cat health certificates are open to the customer; transparency gives confidence, which keeps the trend going.

6Shelter-cafe models featured.

After 2018, the “shelter-cafe” hybrid model became popular in Turkey. Purpose: adopting, not just playing with the cat. The customer spends a few hours with the cat, and if he/she bonds, he/she enters the adoption process. This model both finds a home for the cat and provides rotation to the cafe. It is said to nest thousands of cats in Turkey — there are no official figures, but the impact is clear.

7They had a hard time during the pandemic.

The cat cafes were shaken by the shutdowns in 2020-2021. There were no customers, but the cats had to feed. Some survived with charity, some with special care volunteers. The desire of people to “touch the living being” in the openings after the pandemic brought a new wave of customers to the cafes; 2022-2023 became the second golden period.

8Health and ethics discussions continued.

Cat cafes are always controversial — “cat bondage or a comfortable life for a stray cat?” Well-run venues in Turkey offer a large area, regular veterinarian, interaction and escape zone depending on the cat’s request. Poorly managed spaces can create cramped, stressful environments. It’s a good idea to read reviews of cats on social media before you go as a customer.

9Turkey model set an example in the world.

Unlike the Japanese model, Turkish cat cafes have emphasized the function of “adopting a stray cat”. This approach attracted international media attention and inspired the opening of similar socially responsible cafes in Europe and America. Turkey’s stray animal culture has made the cat cage concept a useful social tool, not just entertainment.

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Turkey’s first cat cafes were quiet openings in 2013-2014, today it is a settled culture with more than a hundred venues across the country. Spending time with the cat, being an adoption channel, providing animal contact in city life — many functions together. If there is a cat cage nearby, stop by for a coffee break; not only will you meet a cat in the character of Minnoş, but maybe you will take the first step of your adoption journey. If commitment isn’t ready, maybe starting with a breed fit test is a good first step.