Junia and Her Cats

This is not really Taiwan related, but we’re in Taipei so it’s adjacent. Overlapping? Life’s threads are complex and I, for one, cannot untangle them.

Junia has recently developed this weird thing about animals in that she gives off the impression of really liking them when they’re far away, in a book, on a screen, behind a glass window, but the moment they start moving, and especially moving towards her, she panics and is terrified. It’s terrible!

On the street, people see and hear that she’s pointing at their dog and saying look! Puppy! And laughing and smiling and these dog owners very reasonably and kindly think oh maybe this young child wants this puppy to come up close to say hello and so they casually come closer with their dog but then at that exact moment she starts freaking out and crying in terror and everyone is confused and the dog people are embarrassed because it seems like their dog may have done something to scare this young child when in fact the dog probably didn’t even understand what was going on and just wants to continue on smelling the poles.

Naomi and Caleb are totally fine with animals, both cats and dogs, which is maybe because they grew up with both cats and dogs. We used to have a dog who was…well: A food thief and a toilet bowl drinker and a barker and who had many other unpleasant habits but was really the best doggo. Super, the dog, died before Junia was born and so all she has known in the house are Chicken and Tuna, the cats.

It’s a tough life, to be some little Ewok, moving about the world scared of dogs and cats, and so I’m going by the exposure method, sort of like for allergies, where we try our best to say hi to any friendly animal we can find. There aren’t too many alley cats or stray cats or outdoor cats here in Taipei, but we’ve come across a few and when we do we try and take the time to hang out for a bit. Junia has enjoyed them when they’re still-life garden decor, but when they start perking up and moving around, she’s terrified and starts shrieking and crying.

We’re heading back to Toronto soon enough, where we’re returning to Chicken and Tuna, who I can only assume Junia will still be fine with, but in the meantime, I’ve discovered that there are such things as cat cafes here in Taipei, which are normal cafes but with cats inside of them, usually 4 or 5 or more. It’s a super concept, and I think in a lonely world that only seems to get lonelier and more isolating, having a place where you can come hang out with something furry is one tiny sliver of a solution. As adults, sometimes it’s even harder to connect with others, and in cafes where everyone is in their laptops, headphones on, these cats are a reason to get up and stretch and interact with people around you.

It’s a whole subculture here, and evidently not a health code violation as I think it might be in Toronto? What do I know. Reviewers of these cat cafes rate things like how clean the establishment is, how friendly the cats are, whether they’re shy or sleeping (no good) or comfortable (okay) or if they come up to you to play with them (better), how many cats there are, how well the cats seem to be taken care of. It’s wild and actually a lot of fun. Some cafes offer treats you can buy to feed them. Most cafes have a minimum spend ranging from one drink per person to a meal, and a time limit on how long you can spend there.

And most of them, the vast majority it seems, also have an age restriction, so you can’t bring kids in—some under 10, or under 12—although I think if you do have kids you can always try and speak to the owner or manager and commit to making sure your kids aren’t going to go nuts chasing the cats around. This is all gleaned from the internet as I’ve only actually been to one.

Cat, awaiting date. Or maybe service.

We did find one cat cafe that allows kids. Junia, predictably, was not very enthusiastic about the cats when we first got in, and started crying when one jumped on the table to get a good sniff of her. I think animals sometimes find the smells of children more exciting, and the cats were going in and out of her stroller, and were very curious about her, and eventually she did warm up to them. A tiny little nose boop, a little scuffle in their fur. And then our time limit was up! Baby steps.

I wonder if we’ll actually have to live with a dog for her to really get comfortable with those smelly creatures. A philosophical quandary.