Singapore’s first cat cafe to close on May 1 after two years of pandemic restrictions

Cat Cafe Neko No Niwa, Singapore’s first cat cafe, has announced that it will close its doors permanently on May 1. 

The announcement, posted last month on the cafe’s Instagram account, said that owners Tan Sue Lynn and Samuel Isaac Lam had been “toying with the idea to wind down business” for some time. 

The death of one of the cats at the cafe, Baloo, helped the owners to move ahead with the decision. 

Most of the cats in the cafe are nine to 13 years old and “have lost an equivalent of eight human years” ever since the pandemic started. The owners also wished to provide them with a “good number of retirement years” by bringing them back to their home.

The announcement also confirmed that the Instagram account will still be operating after the cafe’s closure to provide updates about the cats. They also added that all 10 cats will still be around at the cafe until the last day of operations.

The owners have no plans of relocating or reopening the cat cafe as well. 

Those who have gift vouchers or “Purrfect Passes” from the cafe will have to use it before the cafe’s closure. No refund will be given. 

Anyone hoping to visit the cafe one last time before its closure can make reservations here.