A break in the insane pace of the day, a good coffee shop and a four-legged company are some of the pleasures that Porto's first cat coffee shop, Porto dos Gatos, offers to those who spend a few moments there. Inaugurated in March 2018, on Avenida Rodrigues de Freitas, in Bonfim, Joana Rocha and Flávia Meireles have created a space where clients can spend time with several cats that live in a vegan restaurant, turning it into a cozy experience added with the notion of respect for animals in the client's hearts.
"The idea of the restaurant came from the passion for animals and from volunteering that we used to participate of, as we both are vegetarian and like to cook, we decided to mix everything together," said Joana. The two owners of Porto dos Gatos were already evolved with the idea even before the restaurant itself came true. From the Cat Life Association, the purpose of the place was to join the cause for abandoned animals and victims of abuse. With the motto "compassion", they rescue the cats, take care of them and dispose each one for donation in the restaurant, which leaves everything with an even more special touch, once it is a form of therapy for the clients to live with them, who can relax and calm down.
The whole place is love at first sight. Julia Conzatti, a student of Civil Engineering, is finishing a period of mobility at the University of Porto and went to Porto dos Gatos for the first time due to a friend’s recommendation. "I think it it is a very creative idea, I have never seen a restaurant where you can find other animals like this, prowling around freely," she reports. "The best part is that it's not the cats who invade the restaurant, it's the other way around, we are the ones who invade their space. That allows us to be closer to them and stablish a different kind of contact with them. Besides, it makes us forget the homesickness of the kittens we left on our country. "
With a diverse and homemade menu, Porto dos Gatos keeps attracting more and more admirers. Besides the sweets, the entire ideology evolved in the restaurant is a constant learning of independence and empathy. "Maybe people are not so open to receive the love that cats try to give to people. It's not a love that is available whenever we want, it's a love you knows is there, but sometimes they show it and sometimes they don't". Joana still leaves the message:"We need to respect animals the more and more each time, I think that's the main purpose".
Written by: Larissa Previato Nogali
Photos by: Larissa Previato Nogali
Translated by: Francisca Rehbein
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