Cat or Dog?
Which is your pick?
I’m a dog lover through and through.
If situation had been more favourable I would have been the proud owner of a dog (or many).
Sadly my current (and in foreseeable future) direction in life doesn’t permit the room nor time for one.
Rather then having an animal in my care suffering from neglect, I had chosen to play with dogs owned by others.
Desa Park City on weekends evenings are great for dog-watching. If the owners are kind, you might even get to play and hug their dogs.
The recent rise of animal friendly cafes are well-received with both dog/cat owners and animal lovers.
In TTDI alone, there are 2 cafes cum animal play space for felines and canines.
I was naturally excited about this development as it provides an option for feline and canine fans.
And the even better news is, both cafes are within walking distance of each other!
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Purradise Cafe is located on the 1st floor of the shoplots on the same row as Pickle and Fig and McDonalds.
Likewise, Woof Woof Cafe is situated on the 1st floor, but on the same row as Devi’s and Grumpy Cyclist.
This is where the similarities end.
Sadly (as of 23rd Aug 2015) Woof Woof Cafe doesn’t seem to be attracting the crowd it deserves.
We visited on a Sunday at 2pm and the entire cafe is empty. The only person on duty is a girl who couldn’t communicate in English, or if I were to be kind, I could say that she is shy.
Whatever it is, this doesn’t augur well for the business.
Based on personal speculation, the downfall of Woof Woof Cafe could be the lack of canine to begin with.
Its business model relies on its patrons to bring its USP (read: dogs) to attract more patrons (read: people who owns dogs or likes dogs).
So at any given time, there is no guarantee of adorable, furry playmates. If you happened to be like me, dog-less and walked in empty handed, you will leave disappointed.
If the cafe is empty, there are no dogs to play with. If there are dogs around, you would have to rely on the owners’ charitable spirit to share their dogs with you.
Heck, even if the owners are, there isn’t much you can do if the dogs aren’t feeling playful or aren’t comfortable with strangers.
Woof Woof Cafe offers some light snacks as well as dog-friendly pastas. Beverages are soft drinks, coffee and tea.
During my visit, the matcha cake wasn’t for sale (so the girl says) and another cake on display wasn’t looking appealing.
Purradise Cafe on the other hand is a warm, welcoming space.
There are currently (as the point of my visit) 13 cats running freely “interacting” with guests.
The owner has quite a sound income generating model in place; a RM15 fee for the first hour of visit inclusive of a drink, while subsequent “visiting hours” are charged at RM3 per 15 minutes block.
Basically, you would have to pay a fixed amount the moment you step in.
Admittedly the choices of drinks that you are entitled to order for your complimentary beverage is worth the price (blended fruit juices/milkshakes are pretty standard at about RM15 – RM20 ++ each), but to a business person like me, I interpreted that as “each visitor is locked at RM15 per head“.
Besides, if you are a feline lover, it is unlikely that you would leave after an hour.
There are a decent number of cats with difference characteristics (mischievous, proud, energetic) to keep you occupied.
That, plus food and reliable WIFI.
The felines are obviously well cared for and looked the very picture of health. Though I’m not a feline lover, I didn’t hesitate to play with a few.
Purradise Cafe is certainly well run.
Footwear has to be removed before entering the main space where the cats are, the main room has a barrier of sorts (to avoid the cats running out to the stairs) with a smaller room in between the main entrance and the cafe itself.
Ample ledges are fixed to the wall with sleep boxes, holes and toys for the cats to move about freely and for patrons to use to engage with the cats.
I thought that was a great idea, for instead of just hugging (read: squeeze) and fondling the cats, you are provided “safe” toys to play with the cats.
Contemplative cat. 🙂
To create the feel of different spaces within the same area, grass carpets covered 2 sections, one with a swing and another with a nicely painted wall. Both areas had large beanbags scattered about.
The swing is just ideal for picture taking moments, again a good marketing tool, even if it wasn’t intended that way.
Standard height tables & chairs took up the space at the side of one wall and the space joining the 2 main play areas are left unobscured.
Hand sanitisers are provided for patrons’ use to ensure a minimum level of hygiene before you begin to play with the cats.
Having worked in a dog kennel before, I see these level of precautions absolutely necessary to reduce the possibility of the animals catching a virus/falling sick.
While I’m not entirely sure of the feline’s immune system, I remembered that my dad was extremely particularly about customers petting the dogs in his kennel. He was adamant that no dogs are allowed to lick a stranger’s hands as germs can be transmitted via a variety of mediums.
The cats at Purradise were all strays rescued from animal shelters or from the streets. Each has a name, so take your time to know them. 🙂
In a nutshell, Purradise cafe gave the vibe of a well-planned, thought-out venture.
Woof Woof Cafe is cozy as well. As you can see from the pictures above, it is air-conditioned and well furnished with tables and pillows.
You can choose to sit at standard height tables or relax on the clean wooden floor with your/someone’s pet.
All it needs now is more patrons.
And well, maybe a better FB page administrator as well.
In conclusion, this post serves to highlight the differences of both cafes in the same neighbourhood and though each caters for different animal group, the basic principle of an animal based business applies.
The upkeep of feline against canine is no doubt different (dogs are generally noisier, requires more attention and different breeds need different diet/training/exercise), and perhaps that is the reason Woof Woof Cafe doesn’t have in-house furry kids.
Still, just relying on customers’ canine might not work in the long run.
Also, Purradise has been operational since June this year while Woof Woof Cafe just began their operations 2 weeks ago.
Perhaps there will be doggies soon! Or maybe the owners have some plans not yet revealed.
Whatever is it, do check out these 2 cafes if you are in the vicinity of TTDI. 🙂
Purradise Cat Cafe
No. 24A (First Floor) – upstairs, 2 doors away from Pickle & Fig
Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad 2, Taman Tun Dr. Ismail,
60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Mon-Sun: 11:00 am – 11:00 pm
Cash only
03-2389 0976
Woof Woof Cafe TTDI
No. 48A Jalan Datuk Sulaiman, Taman Tun Dr.Ismail,
60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Tue-Fri: 3:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Sat-Sun: 12:00 pm – 10:00 pm
0102218499
Cash only.
