Vancouver cat cafe reopens after restocking cat supply

Vancouver's Catfé​ re-opens today after a brief closure due to a shortage of felines.

The cat cafe opened its doors in December and allows customers to mingle with cats and take one home.

Eleven cats have been adopted so far and more cats from northern B.C. arrived Thursday, ready for the spotlight.

"We do have special criteria for the cats we can send over, because not every cat is going to thrive in an environment where there are a lot of people and a lot of other cats," said Lorie Chortyk from the BC SPCA.

"We hand-pick the ones that go over."

But Catfé can only accommodate about a dozen cats at a time and the SPCA takes in about 13,000 abandoned cats every year, according to Chortyk. She says the SPCA finds homes for nearly all of them, but is working to reduce the length of stay for cats.

Catfé gives people a chance to spend time with cats in a familiar social setting. Chortyk says the furry felines do the rest of the work.

"I think that people just get so many benefits from being around animals. We know from research they lower our blood pressure," said Chortyk.

"It's that companionship, that unconditional love that people just find so relaxing and amazing to be around."

Only 16 people are allowed in the cat-lounge section of the cafe at any one time. Reservations are recommended.

To listen to the full audio, click the link labelled: Catfe reopens with more cats to adopt.