By Wen Zih-Syuan（溫子萱）
Many volunteers want to help stray animals but are unable to accept the environment that animal shelters provide. That’s why the half-way coffee shops have gradually shown up. The Hope（讀貓園-貓咪中途咖啡）is a place where you can have a cup of coffee and understand the cats —downstairs is a cat hotel.
“Running an animal half-way house （動物中途之家） is far harder than we have imagined,” shopkeeper Du, Sheng-yuan（杜聖元） said. Although in the initial period, the shop didn’t get a high popularity, but that didn’t change their determination to protect animals. Their meal were not exquisite enough to solve the stray animals issue. The real point is the interaction between cats and human. In this cafe, cats are main characters.
To raise the protection awareness, every corner in The Hope has promoted some quotes or pictures of education concepts. Du shared a story with us: there was a customer who has taken care of street cats for over ten years in Hong Kong, then immigrated to Canada. She never stops showing concerns for the stray animals. When she first came to the Hope, a cat jumped on to her legs, surprising her. Through this story, we can learn that everyone has different ways to get along with animals–the cat not only trusted her but also touched her.
Most of kitties were saved in the shelter. The Hope wants to provide a clean and comfortable place for people who wants to adopt street cats. It has already helped over 100 cats to find a sweet home in this year, but there are still a few kitties waiting for their new masters. Before deciding to adopt, people have to fill out the form, which include intimate knowledge of keeping a cat. After all, it is a responsibility in your life. In the Hope, every cup of coffee, every thoughtful movements are likely to be a hope for each and every cat to have a new life.
