Photos: LA's First Cat Cafe Pops Up in Chinatown Until Sunday

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• Eager cat enthusiasts await.
• Inside, costumed cat maids serve mini-bahn mi sandwiches from Starry Kitchen.
• OMG.
• Sa-cur-itay!
• Carlos Wong, the man responsible for LA's first cat cafe. He tells us that it's all "been just a concept in my head so far; I'd seen it in Japan [when] I lived there, [...] but now that it's actually happening [in the States], it's pretty exciting." Kicks
• Cat lovers, curious passersby, and definitely someone who was "more of a dog person" await the cat-filled pop-up's official opening.
• Next door, Pussy & Pooch's pop-up shop offers everything adopters need to bring their new pal home.

Sushi, Hello Kitty, economically efficient cars, and now, the Catfé: LA's newest favorite Japanese import finally arrived in Downtown yesterday, and it's everything we hoped and dreamed about. The feline-filled pop-up is now holding court at Chinatown's Far East Plaza, where it's open daily from 4pm to 9pm until Sunday, October 5th. Yes!

Kickstarter project founder Carlos Wong partnered with no-kill shelter Best Friends LA to provide the cafe's adoptable inhabitants, while kitty and pup pamperers Pussy & Pooch's mini-boutique has also popped up next door. "We really want to change the way people see how you can adopt cats; in shelters, they're very scared, very skittish," Wong tells us. "In cafés, you can see right now how well the cats are acting. They have their space to roam, they feel more comfortable. This is what we want for the permanent space."

Entry is free, but cat enthusiasts can ditch the lines byreserving a spot for $30 (or $125 for one-on-one time with the cats), with proceeds benefitting the Kickstarter. Take a peek inside LA's first cat café below and start planning your early Friday exit strategy stat.

· Catfé LA [Official Site]
· OMG: LA May Finally Get Its Own Cat Cafe [Racked]
· YES: LA's First Cat Cafe Pops Up in Chinatown Next Month [Racked]
· 3 LA Shops' Purrfect Style for The LA Feline Film Fest On Sun [Racked]
· Get Excited Meow: LA's Catfe Could Be Coming to Little Tokyo [Racked]