KMK: Gio Cat Cafe

I should preface this by saying that I am a total dog person. In fact I find myself fond of Chihuahuas which one might think would make me a possible cat lover, but really I’m not. Cats just don’t do it for me, except for maybe Siamese cats which I have an unusual fascination of.  Still, despite my lack of cat enthusiasm, when I saw the post by Joy on the Cat Café in Hongdae I knew I had to go so I immediately rounded up my Cat friendly friends and went in search of the Gio Cat Café.

Gio’s is a cinch to find. Joy’s directions are spot on and you’ll be sure to find it easy enough. It’s located between the Eyeglasses place and the Smoothie King across from the little Park near Honik University where they have the Weekend Art Fairs. Easy. As a bonus its right next to nifty new eatery called Goulash & Bread.

Now, on to the cats!

Gio’s is a happening place with the cat loving crowds of Seoul. We had to sign up and wait over an hour just get a table. Once our appointed time arrived we dashed back to Gio’s, shucked our shoes, and took our seats. The inside is probably what you would expect from a cat café: the ubiquitous number of cat toys, the essential cat scratching posts and towering lofts for them to rest. They even had a cages, pretty cages, but cages nonetheless for what I assumed were the more nonsocial cats.

And cats are just what you’ll be getting at Gio’s. They dash, jump, sleep, laze about, and generally do whatever they like. Warning signs ask you to not pester the cats if they’re sleeping and to not do anything dumb, basically, like pulling tails or feeding the critters, though the beasties do their best to finagle food by jumping on table tops or trailing visitors hoping crumbs fall to the floor.

The cats come in all sorts of varieties from Russian Blues to Siamese. There are short hair cats, long hair cats, fat cats, and sleek cats with enough spunk to plop down on your lap and take a nap. Well, not my lap and not Ian’s much to his dismay. He tried his best to win their love. He used little cutesy toys, he tried teasing with bopping lures, he meowed, he cooed, he cajoled, and I thought at any moment he would resort to bathing with his tongue in cat solidarity but it was all to no avail. Those cats put the snoot in snooty. Though, to be fair, he probably tried a bit too hard. Cats can sense desperation or so I’m told.

Don’t be sad if the cats are standoffish. Just hang in there. A couple girls threw down their coats and made a little comfy spot on the floor and the cats were all over them. I guess it takes equal parts patience and ingenuity. Still, no matter if you’re the cat’s delight or not it’s all about enjoying the spectacle of it all. Go check out Gio’s and in the meantime enjoy the video!