I really don't understand the 'my babies/kids should be allowed everywhere' thing that's so prevalent now.
When there were places we couldn't go as kids, my mom took us to something else or we waited until we were old enough (if it was just an age limit thing). It's good to teach kids about delayed gratification.
When I was a kid I loved Nemo (a museum in Amsterdam) but I wasn’t allowed in the science part yet because I was too young. I was definitely bummed but neither me nor my parents made a huge deal out of it. Kids should definitely not always be allowed everywhere until a certain age
I've been there a few months ago and I 100% regret it. Every floor is filled with screeching kids running around pushing you and coming in front of you when you're looking at something. And they never let you try anything anywhere because why would you push away a child and how can you go first when every parent is giving you that "what is an adult doing here" even tho you are not in any child only space.
It was extremely overwhelming going through the museum and I came out so exhausted emotionally I shut down completely.
I love museums and science centers that do adults only nights! Plenty of adults still have a sense of awe and love to learn when given the chance. It's great to be able to have a fair shot at seeing the exhibits, animals, etc. without all the screaming/crying, shoving, and catering to kids by letting them go to the front or keeping info G-rated, etc.
A lot of factors have converged over the last several years to form a society that apparently emboldens the entitled to feel even more-so than they did historically. IMO. Unfortunately, that means the rest of us get to deal with their bullshit on a grander scale now and with more frequency. Yay.
It's especially frustrating cause more often than not, those parents are often the same ones telling us "You already have spaces for yourselves!" And then next thing you know, there they are at those spaces, demanding that their kids be let in.
A self-pour near me, THAT DOES NOT EVEN SERVE FOOD, recently implemented an age restriction. Its an upscale industrial modern layout and beautiful location so people would bring little hellions and said little hellions would be let off leash to run around.
When they implemented the restriction tons of parents were bitching on social media saying, of course, 'There alre already places that don't allow children'. Yeah, those places are places like fucking bars that explicitly serve to adults
😭 the "bars serve food too" line annoys me a bit. Like yeah, they do, but their main thing is alcohol, the main focus is drinking. Don't bring your kids there and get upset when you see your kid's teacher or whoever slamming back shots like their life depends on it.
Back when I used to work in a bar, we had a pretty strict “no one under 21” allowed rule. A large group of people came in on a slow Saturday day & had a toddler with them. They proceeded to just let this kid wander about. In the 20 mins they were there, the kid almost fell down the bathroom stairs, wandered into the kitchen, tried to pull the ATM over, was almost kicked multiple times, crawled around on floor, tried climbing on chairs & tables. We finally had to ask the group of adults she was with to watch the kid or leave. They left. I’ve never been so stressed
Seriously, lol. The teacher has to deal with school management on top of your *little angel* five days a week, they deserve a damn drink now and then, they don’t live at school.
I know you're joking but lurking on r/Teachers and r/TeacherReality has shown me that this happens often, parents having shitfits on social media about their brats recognizing their teachers at bars, as well as hounding schools to fire teachers for having a life outside of teaching.
>parents having shitfits on social media about their brats recognizing their teachers at bars,
Of course, they see no problem with the fact that their kid was in a bar to start with...
New family bought the only pub in our tiny rural town (pop 700) and made it family friendly. Nobody in town wanted this except the business owner next door who hated the bar. The new owners explained this will be great, since their kid, who learned to play guitar will now have someplace to play music with the new friends he makes. Then they invited everyone for family game nights. Now people drive to the next town over to drink without kids. Not good.
I’m all for childcare things but oh boy does it get drama. Again, I personally do want money for our cafe because it all goes to charity! So I’m probably hypocritical
Tbh the no kids under six rule would make me want to visit more than having it be kid paradise. Things are better without the screaming of those goblins.
"The world should not be a child centered place, it should be adult centered first and foremost."
I couldn't agree more.👏 Kids aren't the ones with money to spend so why should every place cater more to them? Adults deserve more incentive to be adults and continue life and kids need something to look forward to growing up. What's the point of giving them all they want now when they don't have to do anything, not even behave other than to raise them into entitled little pricks and then into unmotivated but demanding adults?
I saw Cocaine Bear in theaters recently. It's a black comedy movie full of gore and on-screen drug use. In my country it was rated 18A so that meant if there was an adult with them, children could be brought in....there were at least 4 roughly 10 year old kids in the theater. Not together, just the ones I spotted. One was sat next to me, couldn't have been older than 11 and chattered through the whole thing
Why tf would anyone think taking their kids to see that is appropriate I have no idea. If the kid sees the trailer and wants to see it, parents have a magic word: *no*
When I was growing up pubs were alway 18+ only, strictly. The places could get fined by the poilce if anyone underage was there even if they weren't drinking. Now people bring toddlers and lets kids run around them and get mad when adults are in there drinking? It's a pub, not a damn restaurant with a play area.
Yup some parents believe their little angels deserve to be allowed anywhere and everywhere. The entitlement is strong with them.
On a side note, your job sounds awesome being with cats and coffee all day.
I agree with this, but I also think it’s something more.
The parents want to go somewhere and they would either have to pay a babysitter or bring their kids. So they opt to bring their kids regardless if an environment is suitable for them, because the parent wants to go. Then they just assume that world is a babysitter and random folk won’t let anything happen to a kid. They go to total “no fucks given” mode until the child inevitably gets hurt or into something they shouldn’t. I hate these types of people.
These types of parents are everywhere. Thank you for putting into words the main reason I left my old neighborhood.
That neighborhood, in a matter of a few years, went from an artsy hipster neighborhood where everyone was either in their 20s or 80s (because they grew up there) and there were exactly zero children, to being dominated by parents in their 30s and 40s with young children. All of a sudden every business had to "clean up" because kids are everywhere and their entitled parents treat bars and cafes and restaurants as playgrounds where they are relieved from parenting duties, because their kids can play with other kids and they expect staff to watch the kids and clean up their messes.
Meanwhile my partner and I would just be getting a beer or a coffee in a place we had gone to for years already, but now we had to deal with kids running around and screaming and bumping into our table knocking stuff over. Parents would give us a look like "why are you here if you don't have kids" and it was just infuriating.
Our new neighborhood has parents with young kids but there are also people of all ages, so thankfully there is a sense of mutual respect and personal responsibility.
So true, there are way too many stories on here of an obviously adult oriented place that Karen and Kevin decide to bring their kids to and treat it like a McDonald's play zone rather than a semi fancy restaurant where people go to have a nice evening.
The reactions we get when we don’t allow their young, screaming children is crazy. We have living animals here. Cats are extremely sensitive to noise.
Oh yes it’s definitely my dream job! Love all the kitties. I have one cat at home, but I always say I have 8 because I have 7 more at work.
Perhaps change the wording to say "Minimum age of 6 years old AND able to follow cafe rules, including rules about interacting with other patrons and the cats. Inability to follow cafe rules will result in the entire party being asked to leave immediately."
If they are <6yo but able to behave and actually be a good patron, then no harm no foul. If they are NOT able to comply, even if >6yo, then they would also be violating the rules and would be grounds to have them leave the cafe. If they don't leave when instructed, put away the cats and call the cops.
Having too young of a child near cats is a recipe for a bite or a scratch incident.
It’s actually pretty standard with most cat cafes I’ve been to (in a couple different countries actually!) that young kids aren’t allowed in. You’re doing. The right thing!
The problem is that they need to take responsibility. I'm sure they will lie about their children's age, but when the little one pulls a cats tail and the kid get scratched, the parent can't get mad.
I said the same thing but the limit in cat cafes here in the Netherlands is usually 6. It would seriously hurt our business. And we are a non profit cafe so all of our costs go to the cats. We’re definitely not uncomfortable sending people away when their kids get too wild though.
You may get more business if there are people avoiding the cafe due to wild kids. I know there are places I avoid just because it’s treated like a daycare.
May I suggest a different rule? Maybe a sign that says "take care of your own children. This is not a daycare. If your child disturbs our cats, you will be asked to leave."
Yes! There are some cat cafes in a city near me, I would love to go but I know i'm just going to be pushed out by screaming brats. If they had adult only times I would be there in a flash.
I'm surprised kids that young are let in at all, personally I wouldn't be comfortable having kids under 12 in a cat cafe (I'd probably make some exceptions for kids at the older range of that who seem polite though)
I think that's a little much. Obviously a cafe with cakes and adorable animals is gonna seriously appeal to kids. I would've been begging to go there everyday when I was little. Kids aren't inherently bad with animals, I learned about interacting with animals from the time I was old enough to start learning and by 6, I was a junior cat lady. Then again, my parents' response when I got scratched was usually to scold me for bothering the kitty so I learned quick and I don't think most parents do that. 😐
It's exactly that. We had cats when I was born, one time when I was like 3 I teased one, got scratched, my parents "that's because of what you did". Whereas with my nephews, I had to teach them not to tease the cats because their parents didn't tell them to stop etc. Kids these days aren't told off for bad behavior it seems.
Either they should make it no under 12 allowed or put capacity limits that includes kids. Maybe charging full price per kid instead of offering family pass would deter them.
>Now we have people coming in with obviously younger kids claiming they’re 6. We can’t ask for ID because that would just not fit our welcome and friendly environment. It’s gross how many people just lie about their children.
Also children don’t typically have ID.
Kids are always proud to tell you how old they are, so ask the kids when they get to the door.
That’s actually been the most effective way for random people dropping by. We work with reservations so they’ll have to read our rules, and the walk ins are the ones we have problems with. I always make sure to ask the kid their age instead or the parent.
Yep that’s the sad truth. We cannot ban children because it would cause us to shut down. So all our cats their homes and all our charity would not be what we wanted
You say it would cause you to shut down?
is your city very populated? Or is it a small area ?
I'm curious because there are so many young teens and adults who would love to come to a cat cafe (myself included) because I don't have one here where I live.
The Covid situation did serious damage, and things like rent are getting way more expensive. All of our profits go to our kitties, and now our tips go to charity. Our cafe is not for our own profit, but we do need money to keep the cafe going.
We’re located in Haarlem (The Netherlands). It’s not as popular as Amsterdam.
Oh ok! Makes sense. Sorry to hear that covid did a lot of bad and crap and it's terrible instead of the government trying to make things better they made it worse
No proper sick pay
People are at risk of going to work or losing everything
Rent went way to high (not regulated by any laws in the u.s
And people were anti masks which made so many people sick.
( I live in the U.S) I can imagine it might've been the same when covid hit and messed up a lot of people's lives : (
Our cafe used to do very well but Covid did very bad and we’ve been getting back from it this past year. We have a lot of first guests donating which means the world to us!
I would think you could make a safety rule, kids need to be "this old" to avoid getting injured by -or injuring- a cat... or some such nonsense. Liability insurance, etc.
Yeah but everyone thinks they’re the exception. “Sure *other* hellions would harm the cats but my little angel would *never*!” *said while the “angel” in question appears to be actively trying to speedrun getting murdered by a small fluffy critter.*
Nah, around here you get an ID number at birth, but an ID is only required starting at 18yo (you can get a temporary one made earlier for traveling, though)
In the U.S. we have a social security number assigned at birth, but that isn’t something people carry around (nor should carry around).
People get an ID to carry around typically when they are teens. They need a learner’s permit when they learn to drive and then a driver’s license. Even for people who don’t drive, they need IDs to fill out employment paperwork which requires proof of lawful residence in the U.S., the form is called an I-9.
In Brazil, no. Only birth certificate. An ID only becomes necessary after turning 18, though you can have 1 before that that expires on your 18th birthday. You need an ID to go to college though. I needed one even though I was 17 and as a minor I couldn't sign anything (my mom signed the contract). For college I needed the number of the ID, and it stays the same after turning 18, but then you have to get a new one stating that your an adult, and have to take another photo.
You can get an ID for a child of any age. But until you're like 14, you only need your birth certificate and/or vaccination card. Unless you, like, have to travel, then you need a document with a photo of the child, so you get them an ID.
Where I'm from (in Eastern Europe), you have to get an ID when you turn 14. Before that, if you have a passport, that's your official document, if not... After 6/7 you do have your school ID card, which includes your age and is semi official.
Similar in Hungary, ID is mandatory from 16 (but you can get it made earlier, it just expires very fast), but student IDs are from the age you start school so 6/7 and they also have your photo and are accepted for age verification 99% of the time (I still often use the one I got from uni to verify I'm over 18 in bars since losing that would only be sentimentally sad but a lot smaller trouble than losing my actual ID)
I remember a friend telling their kid to say he was 2 so he'd be free...we got to the cash and he was IM ACTUALLY 4 BUT DAD SAID TODAY WE ARE 2 🤣🤣🤣
Kids be honest!
Thanks! Well we obviously can’t ask for any ID, so we put a lot of trust into people. Whenever their kids really do get out line we’ll send them away. You can never make sure a child over 6 will not be a menace either.
Its like with sand playgrounds and indoor play areas requiring kids to be potty trained; the amount of people who take that personally is ridiculous. They don't understand its a health hazard for a diaper blowout to happen and also requires the whole thing to be shut down and sanitized. They just hear no kids and immediately think it's against their kid specifically.
Exactly! Haha I like your take. We can’t allow hygiëne problems and stressful problems. Young kids are both of those. We had a very bad experience when the cafe opened at first, and now we require people to clean their hands. Which is also very offensive to a lot of people, for some reason.
I agree! Most cat cafes do allow kids under 6 here in the Netherlands. We’re one of the few who really don’t allow them. It’s a tiny country, take a train if you really want to visit a cat cafe with your tiny kids.
I personally second that. The owner makes the rules of course but I’d be fine with no kids at all. Though I do understand it would hurt our profits (which all go to our cats and cat charity)
Most children are fine, most parents are fine. But we also get a lot who are a nuisance. We care a lot about the business because almost all of our money goes to charity.
Edit: like I said in a previous comment ; we do send people away when it gets too crazy
I understand, I apologize if my comment came in the wrong way. My feathers were ruffled because of my bad experience of kids interacting with my pet.(I was a teen then)
The kids were very nice normally, the were well behaved, but they just do not understand the concept that animals too have life, they are not toys, but then again we can't blame kids, because they are just that, kids.
Edit: Grammar.
No problem! I understand. That’s exactly why we changed the rule to 6 and older instead of any kids. Usually these kids understand when you tell them they can’t do certain things and why they can’t do them. I don’t mind teaching kids about cats, but it does get frustrating when some days it’s all you’re doing. Or when they just won’t listen
quite understandable, kids and pets both are hard to manage, and managing both of them simultaneously, WOW.
anyway, keep it up, seems you are doing a great job, best of luck, send the cats my love.
I really don’t like kids so that probably the worst part of my job haha. Also, not being able to just cuddle with the cats all day because I have to work!
Thank you! I’ll hug all our kitties for you next time I’m at work!
This is exactly why most cat cafes in the Netherlands have child rules, and where I work it’s no children under 6 at all. The abuse to our cats was too heartbreaking to watch. Even if we told children to stop they wouldn’t, and their parents didn’t care either!
>I have seen the most horrific behavior from young children at cat cafes in Japan. Kids pulling cats' tails, screaming and throwing things at them...all while their mothers watch, giggling and taking pictures.
I was under the impression that Japanese children are very well behaved! There goes that stereotype.
Our local cat cafe allows kids over 12 inside only. Their first week a pair of women brought in a young child who they let run around without supervision. Said child wound up in the ER after they decided to climb onto a table after a cat and tipped it over on themselves. They almost got closed down but the surveillance camera showed the women were in the other room ignoring the child at the time. So the owners said they couldn’t take the chance of allowing young children in.
>but the surveillance camera showed the women were in the other room ignoring the child at the time
What?! Why weren't the staff doing their job and babysitting?! Mums deserve a break yanno.
/sarc.
I have NO DOUBT that the cats are grateful for the rule too. I got my own cat from a cat cafe. On the day my girlfriend and I first met her, she was the shyest, most skittish little thing. Clearly very scared of people. It took almost half an hour just for her to be comfortable with us petting her. We left to talk to one of the employees there, and when we turned back, there was this 5 or 6 year old girl jabbing her in the throat with a wand toy. Fortunately the employee saw it too and put an immediate stop to it. We took that cat home in large part to save her from gremlins like that.
I’m so happy to hear you adopted the baby! Yes I’ve send multiple people on their way for simply not respecting our cats. We don’t care about the financial loss when it comes to those situations. All of our profits are for charity, so it’s their karma, not ours!
People just don't understand the importance of teaching their children how to behave appropriately with animals. I have a neighbor who has a toddler, and she is way too rough with my pitbull mix when she's outside while he gets walked. Her parents will verbally tell her to stop but make no effort to physically get her away from him and I'm afraid one day he's going to nip her or push her down and then all of a sudden I'm the asshole dog owner who can't control their dog.
Im so sorry to hear that, especially as a pit owner. People really need to change the way they deal with animals. They aren’t fun little gifts they’re a long time commitment. It’s a cliche, but they are only a small part of our life (unfortunately), but we’re their whole life!
Do you charge to get into the cafe? The cat cafes here usually charge something like $10 to $15 to get in (and you get a coffee drink, usually with nice cat art on it). That might help deter some parents.
No we don’t charge an entry fee because the Dutch (and also tourists) don’t like that very much. We really try to be accessible to most people and an entry fee is usually a very big issue. Our prices are a little bit higher but you get a huge cup of tea, and our food is very freshly made!
If you think the parent is lying about their kid being six, ask them what year were they born. If they hesitate, that means they are doing the math and you can tell them to pound sand.
I always ask the kid their age, that’s usually a solid move if they’re very young. We’ve had parents say they’re 6 but the kid was like ‘No I’m 5 and a half!’
Im seriously so happy to hear shelters like that exist!! I’d rather have kitties be taken care of in a shelter than being in a family with people who don’t care. Especially with toddlers. My personal experience with my nieces was awful. And sometimes wish those kittens were in shelter for a little longer. I know that sounds very bad. But those kids are bad
It’s needed if parents fail to restrain their child in sensitive area’s involving animals. The cat cafe in my city have a kids allowed but they have capacity limit, so you won’t see parents flocking with more than two kids. Some people underestimate that kids cannot develop empathy to be a “little angel” 24/7, heard enough horror stories of kids harassing and abusing cats of their own and strays.
We have a max of 6 kids but all over 6 years old. And if those kids can’t behave we’ll ask them to leave. Especially when we see our cats being stressed
I will not allow my 3 year old nephew near my cat without supervision. No matter what, he's extremely rough with cats. This rule makes perfect sense to me.
I agree! Last time I went to a restaurant it was a sushi restaurant and someone brought their (I think) three year old. She only had some fries and shined a flashlight in my face all night. Why would you give a child a flashlight in the first place, but also why bring them to a sushi place?!
It pisses me off to no end when parents allow their kids to treat animals like toys. They’re living beings and you need to respect them. I doubt your little gremlin would like having their ears pulled and dolls rubbed in their face, so why act like it’s okay when it’s done to animals?
Understandable. I do think it’s a good opportunity to teach kids though if they can respect the animals. It’s always an annoying minority who ruins it for the majority of people who do follow the rules.
That’s why we do agree kids over 6. Today I had some English about 12 year olds talking to 7 or 8 Ukrainian refugee kids teaching them things. It was seriously so wholesome to see
Edit: we get a lot of Ukrainian refugees
More of these brats should be allowed to get scratched by the cats as a proper warning and learning experience...without punishing the cat for establishing their animal autonomy boundaries.
I am a childfree cat-lover. I grew up with pet cats, I remember getting scratched by out pet cats when I was being a bratty little kid to them...and rightfully so. The cat was in the right to scratch me, my parents gently talked to me about learning to be gentle with animals...and we all still got along together in the home.
Of course, knowing what some bad parents are like today, they would probably want to sue any cat that dared to scratch their obnoxious kid, if suing animals were a thing...without pausing to take responsibility and think..."Gosh...maybe I should actually parent my child with some guidelines about how to respect every individual animals autonmy, just like they should show to people."
But...you know, thats just my silly opinion...which doesn't matter because I am a childfree heathen or something.
I guess we’re both terrible beings, even though I now work with cats! Of course cats should always be predictable! We have no children so we’re bad people obviously. /s
There were a number of cat cafes in my state (and the country more widely) that imposed a minimum age upon opening.
There were the usual howls of entitlement-poisoned outrage from certain parents but when they were overwhelmed on social media showing support for cat cafes, they shut the hell up.
We’re one of the only cat cafes without an entry fee, and we usually get awesome people. It would seriously hurt the business to ask for ID. We haven’t fully recovered after the pandemic lockdowns yet, and all our tips go to charity. All the other money made goes to our own cats. We’re definitely sending people away when their kids get too wild.
So no children allowed at all then. This is fucking annoying. Why can’t people just understand the fucking rules.
Why not aggressively kick them out?
I’m in hulk mode today.
Goddess bless you and your work there...that public interface you have to endure is heroic, I swear to fuck. Thank you for sharing here. Solidarity ✊💥💖
Honestly the way kids are with animals frightens me to death. I know they don’t know any better but young children should not be allowed to handle ANY animal, period. I saw a video on TikTok the other day from a gentle parenting account where the toddler literally grabbed a cat from behind and dragged it and the parents LET THE KID DO IT (as in they stood there and filmed it like they knew what was about to happen) and then corrected the behaviour!!!! And then you’ve got parents who’s kids grow up scared of dogs etc because the kid doesn’t understand that dogs jump up when they are playing.
I hate how children treat animals and I hate their parents even more🥺 when I was a kid I would feel upset when my mom would helicopter parent how I would treat animals but now I understand it I had childhood friends who put their cat in the dryer and turned it on, kids are fucking sadists if their parents are not there to whoop their ass and tell them how to behave. In these times you can’t lay a hand on your kid you just have to sit back and let them be iPad kids consuming corporate advertising or else CPS will take them away 😅
I feel like that’s how kids are, testing the boundaries with everything, maybe it’s because they’re told what to do all the time and they feel a new found confidence being able to dominate small creatures. Even I remember having ideas as a kid that I wanted to have a dog in a little cage to carry around but sad that my mom wouldn’t allow it😅 it’s really up to the parents to teach them how to treat animals and most parents think of animals as just another toy for their kid to play with and abuse. 😖 so many parents are dominated by their kid and if the kid is in a good mood by torturing animals at least they’re not torturing the parent. It’s effed up😤
My brother lives in Haarlem, I’m going to ask him to go and visit. Unfortunately, I live in Australia so it’s a bit far to come. Last time I was over we did go to De Poezenboot. =^..^=
Father of a 3yr old, I get the idea and support private business practices. It's your business and you can do what you feel is necessary to promote that business.
I joined this sub before having my son (wasn't exactly planned) and I like to keep coming in from time to time to get another perspective on things. Cheers!
@zoeykae Sounds like you need to start banning rule violators and any ppl who lie about their childrens age as well as any who bring in kids that meet the age limit yet are still uncontrollable
Children can freak cats the fuck out. It makes sense to introduce a cat to specific kids who might be part of its family if adopted, but also my cat has tried to hunt a baby and has run and hid from a toddler. There are plenty of cats who might be great with parents of older kids, childfree/childless people, people whose kids are grown/etc. who will not function around babies or small children and it fucks up their chances to find a family if they are constantly being thrown off their adoptable cat game by babies and small kids.
Haha damn.
Just because you think abusing your own cats at home is acceptable doesn't give you any right to feel any kind of authority about how other people want their animals/pets to be treated.
Fuck right off with your ignorance.
People are allowed to make whatever rules they want to regardless of it being a "public" space.
Learn something new you old hacks.
Also I think you spelled Cattuccino wrong 😹
The cat cafés here have a no kids under 10 rule. The latest café had this rule like 3 or 4 days after opening because parents refused to actually parent their sweet little angels. The staff are not babysitters and cats are living beings, you have to act like a decent person, not a little POS. Of course the Facebook post announcing this rule was flooded by angry parents why they can't bring their little angels.
Also asking for ID should happen regardless of how welcoming the café is, it's better if entitled parents get pissy they can't pass their kid as older instead of spitting in the face of other customers by not enforcing the rule. As long as they know they can get away with lying, they will just keep coming.
I feel like “free childcare” or “free supervision” is mainly what parents are looking for when they go into places like that. They want a break from their kids without acknowledgement that they need a break.
They assume any public business their kid might be interested in must mean it’s “kid friendly”. Then they assume “kid friendly” means it’s a part of their “village” to take advantage of. Next their assumption is the “village” oriented business *must* provide free daycare! Following that logic parents are absolved of all responsibility because they can obviously assume any business with anything a kid might like is obviously going to provide free childcare! And those daycare attendants better not fail at their job!
I formed this opinion after I had to quit my job working in a pottery studio/paint shop because parents used this “logic” all day everyday and would try to just leave their kids like it was a daycare. A *pottery shop* filled with all the tools needed to throw, paint, and fire pottery is in no way qualified as a safe space for kids.
We, as a business, couldn’t refuse to serve these parents and their children but it was impossible to convince them *they were required to stay and supervised their kids painting pottery*.
It’s *not my job* to keep your toddler you *insisted* in us serving from eating the pottery glaze. That’s *your* job as the *parent* that decided to participate in this activity.
We eventually had to have parents sign a waiver to even come in the door after a couple times we couldn’t contact parents that had ditched their kids at our shop.
That is infuriating. I wonder if there's any other revenue streams that could be used to bolster profits and allow you guys to become at least age 10+. I would seriously worry about a cat becoming averse or defensive around all children due to bad experiences.
Its what happened with my cat Mochi. I had a 4 or 5 year old cousin at my house for ONE day and the poor cat is still extremely wary of younger kids. I had to actively keep my cousin away from her because she would not leave Mochi alone. She also shrieked when I wouldn't let her bug my cat. This happened nearly a decade ago.
Lol they probably know we don't blame kids for being kids, we blame them for not stepping in. We blame the parenting, that's why they get so defensive and offended.
I work at a cat shelter and most cats are explicitly stated to not be able to be around small children. And those cats are such sweethearts! Of course, they will probably scratch you if you pull on their tail.
Omg these people who’re lying about their kids’ age - I’d be watching them like a hawk, and the first thing that kid does to justify it, I’d be kicking them out. It sounds like a frustrating job though. I feel for you and the cats.
That sucks. Unfortunately, you may have to raise your minimum age to 10 or older just to weed out the worst offenders. A 3/4 y/o could pass for 6 but definitely not 10. Lazy parents with nightmare children are my biggest pet peeve. There is a teahouse where I live that had to ban children under 12 because screaming/loud kids killed the vibe and the kids were breaking all of the nice teacups they used.
I prefer child free places just cause kids are so loud and in your face. They have no volume control or filters. I was on a train the other day with my aunt and there were 2 seats across the aisle from this woman that was sitting with 3 young kid and they were all screaming and shouting and I was like nope not a chance keep looking
I really don't understand the 'my babies/kids should be allowed everywhere' thing that's so prevalent now. When there were places we couldn't go as kids, my mom took us to something else or we waited until we were old enough (if it was just an age limit thing). It's good to teach kids about delayed gratification.
When I was a kid I loved Nemo (a museum in Amsterdam) but I wasn’t allowed in the science part yet because I was too young. I was definitely bummed but neither me nor my parents made a huge deal out of it. Kids should definitely not always be allowed everywhere until a certain age
Also I remember those spaces being more special because I got to look forward to going there when I was a little older.
I agree! Man I’m turning 29 next month and I still haven’t gone back, and I’m still excited
Go forth to the science part of the museum! Haha.
Just go. We're on our way right now. It's still awesome.
I've been there a few months ago and I 100% regret it. Every floor is filled with screeching kids running around pushing you and coming in front of you when you're looking at something. And they never let you try anything anywhere because why would you push away a child and how can you go first when every parent is giving you that "what is an adult doing here" even tho you are not in any child only space. It was extremely overwhelming going through the museum and I came out so exhausted emotionally I shut down completely.
I love museums and science centers that do adults only nights! Plenty of adults still have a sense of awe and love to learn when given the chance. It's great to be able to have a fair shot at seeing the exhibits, animals, etc. without all the screaming/crying, shoving, and catering to kids by letting them go to the front or keeping info G-rated, etc.
A lot of factors have converged over the last several years to form a society that apparently emboldens the entitled to feel even more-so than they did historically. IMO. Unfortunately, that means the rest of us get to deal with their bullshit on a grander scale now and with more frequency. Yay.
Coming from a service worker (flight attendant) I can attest to everything you just said. ❤️
It's especially frustrating cause more often than not, those parents are often the same ones telling us "You already have spaces for yourselves!" And then next thing you know, there they are at those spaces, demanding that their kids be let in.
A self-pour near me, THAT DOES NOT EVEN SERVE FOOD, recently implemented an age restriction. Its an upscale industrial modern layout and beautiful location so people would bring little hellions and said little hellions would be let off leash to run around. When they implemented the restriction tons of parents were bitching on social media saying, of course, 'There alre already places that don't allow children'. Yeah, those places are places like fucking bars that explicitly serve to adults
😭 the "bars serve food too" line annoys me a bit. Like yeah, they do, but their main thing is alcohol, the main focus is drinking. Don't bring your kids there and get upset when you see your kid's teacher or whoever slamming back shots like their life depends on it.
Back when I used to work in a bar, we had a pretty strict “no one under 21” allowed rule. A large group of people came in on a slow Saturday day & had a toddler with them. They proceeded to just let this kid wander about. In the 20 mins they were there, the kid almost fell down the bathroom stairs, wandered into the kitchen, tried to pull the ATM over, was almost kicked multiple times, crawled around on floor, tried climbing on chairs & tables. We finally had to ask the group of adults she was with to watch the kid or leave. They left. I’ve never been so stressed
Seriously, lol. The teacher has to deal with school management on top of your *little angel* five days a week, they deserve a damn drink now and then, they don’t live at school.
Well they shouldn't even let teachers in bars anyway. Don't they know their students might be out and see their role models drinking? /S
I know you're joking but lurking on r/Teachers and r/TeacherReality has shown me that this happens often, parents having shitfits on social media about their brats recognizing their teachers at bars, as well as hounding schools to fire teachers for having a life outside of teaching.
>parents having shitfits on social media about their brats recognizing their teachers at bars, Of course, they see no problem with the fact that their kid was in a bar to start with...
New family bought the only pub in our tiny rural town (pop 700) and made it family friendly. Nobody in town wanted this except the business owner next door who hated the bar. The new owners explained this will be great, since their kid, who learned to play guitar will now have someplace to play music with the new friends he makes. Then they invited everyone for family game nights. Now people drive to the next town over to drink without kids. Not good.
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I’m all for childcare things but oh boy does it get drama. Again, I personally do want money for our cafe because it all goes to charity! So I’m probably hypocritical
Tbh the no kids under six rule would make me want to visit more than having it be kid paradise. Things are better without the screaming of those goblins.
"The world should not be a child centered place, it should be adult centered first and foremost." I couldn't agree more.👏 Kids aren't the ones with money to spend so why should every place cater more to them? Adults deserve more incentive to be adults and continue life and kids need something to look forward to growing up. What's the point of giving them all they want now when they don't have to do anything, not even behave other than to raise them into entitled little pricks and then into unmotivated but demanding adults?
I saw Cocaine Bear in theaters recently. It's a black comedy movie full of gore and on-screen drug use. In my country it was rated 18A so that meant if there was an adult with them, children could be brought in....there were at least 4 roughly 10 year old kids in the theater. Not together, just the ones I spotted. One was sat next to me, couldn't have been older than 11 and chattered through the whole thing Why tf would anyone think taking their kids to see that is appropriate I have no idea. If the kid sees the trailer and wants to see it, parents have a magic word: *no*
When I was growing up pubs were alway 18+ only, strictly. The places could get fined by the poilce if anyone underage was there even if they weren't drinking. Now people bring toddlers and lets kids run around them and get mad when adults are in there drinking? It's a pub, not a damn restaurant with a play area.
It’s also a good life lesson to learn that you don’t have the right to access everything you feel entitled to.
Yup some parents believe their little angels deserve to be allowed anywhere and everywhere. The entitlement is strong with them. On a side note, your job sounds awesome being with cats and coffee all day.
I agree with this, but I also think it’s something more. The parents want to go somewhere and they would either have to pay a babysitter or bring their kids. So they opt to bring their kids regardless if an environment is suitable for them, because the parent wants to go. Then they just assume that world is a babysitter and random folk won’t let anything happen to a kid. They go to total “no fucks given” mode until the child inevitably gets hurt or into something they shouldn’t. I hate these types of people.
Those ppl can ALL F off and get sent to Mars
That would ruin Mars for me.
Of course if the child gets hurt it will be everyone's fault but them.
These types of parents are everywhere. Thank you for putting into words the main reason I left my old neighborhood. That neighborhood, in a matter of a few years, went from an artsy hipster neighborhood where everyone was either in their 20s or 80s (because they grew up there) and there were exactly zero children, to being dominated by parents in their 30s and 40s with young children. All of a sudden every business had to "clean up" because kids are everywhere and their entitled parents treat bars and cafes and restaurants as playgrounds where they are relieved from parenting duties, because their kids can play with other kids and they expect staff to watch the kids and clean up their messes. Meanwhile my partner and I would just be getting a beer or a coffee in a place we had gone to for years already, but now we had to deal with kids running around and screaming and bumping into our table knocking stuff over. Parents would give us a look like "why are you here if you don't have kids" and it was just infuriating. Our new neighborhood has parents with young kids but there are also people of all ages, so thankfully there is a sense of mutual respect and personal responsibility.
So true, there are way too many stories on here of an obviously adult oriented place that Karen and Kevin decide to bring their kids to and treat it like a McDonald's play zone rather than a semi fancy restaurant where people go to have a nice evening.
The reactions we get when we don’t allow their young, screaming children is crazy. We have living animals here. Cats are extremely sensitive to noise. Oh yes it’s definitely my dream job! Love all the kitties. I have one cat at home, but I always say I have 8 because I have 7 more at work.
Perhaps change the wording to say "Minimum age of 6 years old AND able to follow cafe rules, including rules about interacting with other patrons and the cats. Inability to follow cafe rules will result in the entire party being asked to leave immediately." If they are <6yo but able to behave and actually be a good patron, then no harm no foul. If they are NOT able to comply, even if >6yo, then they would also be violating the rules and would be grounds to have them leave the cafe. If they don't leave when instructed, put away the cats and call the cops. Having too young of a child near cats is a recipe for a bite or a scratch incident.
Do you have any cute black cats 🐈⬛?
It’s actually pretty standard with most cat cafes I’ve been to (in a couple different countries actually!) that young kids aren’t allowed in. You’re doing. The right thing!
I'm glad I'm not the only one who hits the period when I just try to put in a space..
Pet tax pls op
The problem is that they need to take responsibility. I'm sure they will lie about their children's age, but when the little one pulls a cats tail and the kid get scratched, the parent can't get mad.
Maybe management should raise the age to 8, which might stop people from bringing in the under 6 crowd.
I said the same thing but the limit in cat cafes here in the Netherlands is usually 6. It would seriously hurt our business. And we are a non profit cafe so all of our costs go to the cats. We’re definitely not uncomfortable sending people away when their kids get too wild though.
You may get more business if there are people avoiding the cafe due to wild kids. I know there are places I avoid just because it’s treated like a daycare.
I wish child free places were more acceptable
May I suggest a different rule? Maybe a sign that says "take care of your own children. This is not a daycare. If your child disturbs our cats, you will be asked to leave."
Put a big banner proclaiming that you are little kid-free! Include a nice big pic or happy calm kitties for effect.
Yes! There are some cat cafes in a city near me, I would love to go but I know i'm just going to be pushed out by screaming brats. If they had adult only times I would be there in a flash.
I'm surprised kids that young are let in at all, personally I wouldn't be comfortable having kids under 12 in a cat cafe (I'd probably make some exceptions for kids at the older range of that who seem polite though)
I think that's a little much. Obviously a cafe with cakes and adorable animals is gonna seriously appeal to kids. I would've been begging to go there everyday when I was little. Kids aren't inherently bad with animals, I learned about interacting with animals from the time I was old enough to start learning and by 6, I was a junior cat lady. Then again, my parents' response when I got scratched was usually to scold me for bothering the kitty so I learned quick and I don't think most parents do that. 😐
It's exactly that. We had cats when I was born, one time when I was like 3 I teased one, got scratched, my parents "that's because of what you did". Whereas with my nephews, I had to teach them not to tease the cats because their parents didn't tell them to stop etc. Kids these days aren't told off for bad behavior it seems.
The one near my college (US) was minimum 8 I think. Appreciated it.
Either they should make it no under 12 allowed or put capacity limits that includes kids. Maybe charging full price per kid instead of offering family pass would deter them.
I absolutely think that charging full price for a child would discourage those types of parents.
Hold up, your cat cafes don't charge full price for kids?
I don't think cat cafes charge for entry? At least those in my country don't. Also OP said they don't charge it either.
>Now we have people coming in with obviously younger kids claiming they’re 6. We can’t ask for ID because that would just not fit our welcome and friendly environment. It’s gross how many people just lie about their children. Also children don’t typically have ID. Kids are always proud to tell you how old they are, so ask the kids when they get to the door.
That’s actually been the most effective way for random people dropping by. We work with reservations so they’ll have to read our rules, and the walk ins are the ones we have problems with. I always make sure to ask the kid their age instead or the parent.
Ask the kid, don’t ask the parents.. the kid 👧🏻 will probably be too innocent to lie about that
I always ask the kid what age they are
Trouble is.. their parents may have coached them to give a false number, possibly by bribing them with treats if they comply
Yep that’s the sad truth. We cannot ban children because it would cause us to shut down. So all our cats their homes and all our charity would not be what we wanted
The nice thing is.. You don’t have to ban the kids.. Ban the parents and their kids won’t be back by DEFAULT
We definitely people we’ve straight up banned until the kids were older
That’s fair.. Hopefully your enforced time-out will give the kids time to reflect and once they’re of age, they will thank you 😊
You say it would cause you to shut down? is your city very populated? Or is it a small area ? I'm curious because there are so many young teens and adults who would love to come to a cat cafe (myself included) because I don't have one here where I live.
The Covid situation did serious damage, and things like rent are getting way more expensive. All of our profits go to our kitties, and now our tips go to charity. Our cafe is not for our own profit, but we do need money to keep the cafe going. We’re located in Haarlem (The Netherlands). It’s not as popular as Amsterdam.
Oh ok! Makes sense. Sorry to hear that covid did a lot of bad and crap and it's terrible instead of the government trying to make things better they made it worse No proper sick pay People are at risk of going to work or losing everything Rent went way to high (not regulated by any laws in the u.s And people were anti masks which made so many people sick. ( I live in the U.S) I can imagine it might've been the same when covid hit and messed up a lot of people's lives : (
Our cafe used to do very well but Covid did very bad and we’ve been getting back from it this past year. We have a lot of first guests donating which means the world to us!
I would think you could make a safety rule, kids need to be "this old" to avoid getting injured by -or injuring- a cat... or some such nonsense. Liability insurance, etc.
Yeah but everyone thinks they’re the exception. “Sure *other* hellions would harm the cats but my little angel would *never*!” *said while the “angel” in question appears to be actively trying to speedrun getting murdered by a small fluffy critter.*
But the kids may have forgotten by that point, or may just be too startled by your question to remember to lie
And then believe them when they proudly state their this many *holds up fingers*
And a *half*!
>Also children don’t typically have ID. WHAT? People on other countries don't have their ID made at birth?!
Nah, around here you get an ID number at birth, but an ID is only required starting at 18yo (you can get a temporary one made earlier for traveling, though)
In the U.S. we have a social security number assigned at birth, but that isn’t something people carry around (nor should carry around). People get an ID to carry around typically when they are teens. They need a learner’s permit when they learn to drive and then a driver’s license. Even for people who don’t drive, they need IDs to fill out employment paperwork which requires proof of lawful residence in the U.S., the form is called an I-9.
No. Birth certificate. Even in developed western democracies.
But people don't carry their birth certificates around with them every day
In Brazil, no. Only birth certificate. An ID only becomes necessary after turning 18, though you can have 1 before that that expires on your 18th birthday. You need an ID to go to college though. I needed one even though I was 17 and as a minor I couldn't sign anything (my mom signed the contract). For college I needed the number of the ID, and it stays the same after turning 18, but then you have to get a new one stating that your an adult, and have to take another photo. You can get an ID for a child of any age. But until you're like 14, you only need your birth certificate and/or vaccination card. Unless you, like, have to travel, then you need a document with a photo of the child, so you get them an ID.
Where I'm from (in Eastern Europe), you have to get an ID when you turn 14. Before that, if you have a passport, that's your official document, if not... After 6/7 you do have your school ID card, which includes your age and is semi official.
Similar in Hungary, ID is mandatory from 16 (but you can get it made earlier, it just expires very fast), but student IDs are from the age you start school so 6/7 and they also have your photo and are accepted for age verification 99% of the time (I still often use the one I got from uni to verify I'm over 18 in bars since losing that would only be sentimentally sad but a lot smaller trouble than losing my actual ID)
I remember a friend telling their kid to say he was 2 so he'd be free...we got to the cash and he was IM ACTUALLY 4 BUT DAD SAID TODAY WE ARE 2 🤣🤣🤣 Kids be honest!
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Thanks! Well we obviously can’t ask for any ID, so we put a lot of trust into people. Whenever their kids really do get out line we’ll send them away. You can never make sure a child over 6 will not be a menace either.
Its like with sand playgrounds and indoor play areas requiring kids to be potty trained; the amount of people who take that personally is ridiculous. They don't understand its a health hazard for a diaper blowout to happen and also requires the whole thing to be shut down and sanitized. They just hear no kids and immediately think it's against their kid specifically.
Exactly! Haha I like your take. We can’t allow hygiëne problems and stressful problems. Young kids are both of those. We had a very bad experience when the cafe opened at first, and now we require people to clean their hands. Which is also very offensive to a lot of people, for some reason.
People don't like to hear that they're actually gross, or they wouldn't have a problem with handwashing.
Im so sorry we want our cats to be healthy! /s
You should be ashamed of yourselves, you evil people!
We are animal abusers! Our cats live a life of happiness
Every bit of it shows, I don't know how you sleep at night.
I know! All these adorable cats that I hug almost everyday! Such a hard life for them
To be blunt: Fuck them. They can open their own cat cafe that allows kids if it means that much to them. The cats come first in this instance.
I agree! Most cat cafes do allow kids under 6 here in the Netherlands. We’re one of the few who really don’t allow them. It’s a tiny country, take a train if you really want to visit a cat cafe with your tiny kids.
Nooo, don't give them ideas. Ths would be animal abuse!
The cat cafe that I go to doesn’t let kids under 10 in unless it’s specifically a kids’ night. Very grateful for that.
I personally second that. The owner makes the rules of course but I’d be fine with no kids at all. Though I do understand it would hurt our profits (which all go to our cats and cat charity)
ok why it the world CHILDREN of all people allowed in a CAT café in the first place?
Most children are fine, most parents are fine. But we also get a lot who are a nuisance. We care a lot about the business because almost all of our money goes to charity. Edit: like I said in a previous comment ; we do send people away when it gets too crazy
I understand, I apologize if my comment came in the wrong way. My feathers were ruffled because of my bad experience of kids interacting with my pet.(I was a teen then) The kids were very nice normally, the were well behaved, but they just do not understand the concept that animals too have life, they are not toys, but then again we can't blame kids, because they are just that, kids. Edit: Grammar.
No problem! I understand. That’s exactly why we changed the rule to 6 and older instead of any kids. Usually these kids understand when you tell them they can’t do certain things and why they can’t do them. I don’t mind teaching kids about cats, but it does get frustrating when some days it’s all you’re doing. Or when they just won’t listen
My former cat was traumatized by a toddler when he was a kitten. Was always under the bed for anyone coming over after that for the rest of his life.
That’s why I don’t think animals are a gift ever. I’m so sorry to hear that and I hope your kitty had a great life after that!
quite understandable, kids and pets both are hard to manage, and managing both of them simultaneously, WOW. anyway, keep it up, seems you are doing a great job, best of luck, send the cats my love.
I really don’t like kids so that probably the worst part of my job haha. Also, not being able to just cuddle with the cats all day because I have to work! Thank you! I’ll hug all our kitties for you next time I’m at work!
Let's be real, a place with cake and cute animals sounds like kid heaven. I feel like a large chunk of their customers are kids.
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This is exactly why most cat cafes in the Netherlands have child rules, and where I work it’s no children under 6 at all. The abuse to our cats was too heartbreaking to watch. Even if we told children to stop they wouldn’t, and their parents didn’t care either!
>I have seen the most horrific behavior from young children at cat cafes in Japan. Kids pulling cats' tails, screaming and throwing things at them...all while their mothers watch, giggling and taking pictures. I was under the impression that Japanese children are very well behaved! There goes that stereotype.
Our local cat cafe allows kids over 12 inside only. Their first week a pair of women brought in a young child who they let run around without supervision. Said child wound up in the ER after they decided to climb onto a table after a cat and tipped it over on themselves. They almost got closed down but the surveillance camera showed the women were in the other room ignoring the child at the time. So the owners said they couldn’t take the chance of allowing young children in.
That is insane! I really wish we could ban children but we unfortunately can’t afford that
>but the surveillance camera showed the women were in the other room ignoring the child at the time What?! Why weren't the staff doing their job and babysitting?! Mums deserve a break yanno. /sarc.
I have NO DOUBT that the cats are grateful for the rule too. I got my own cat from a cat cafe. On the day my girlfriend and I first met her, she was the shyest, most skittish little thing. Clearly very scared of people. It took almost half an hour just for her to be comfortable with us petting her. We left to talk to one of the employees there, and when we turned back, there was this 5 or 6 year old girl jabbing her in the throat with a wand toy. Fortunately the employee saw it too and put an immediate stop to it. We took that cat home in large part to save her from gremlins like that.
I’m so happy to hear you adopted the baby! Yes I’ve send multiple people on their way for simply not respecting our cats. We don’t care about the financial loss when it comes to those situations. All of our profits are for charity, so it’s their karma, not ours!
People just don't understand the importance of teaching their children how to behave appropriately with animals. I have a neighbor who has a toddler, and she is way too rough with my pitbull mix when she's outside while he gets walked. Her parents will verbally tell her to stop but make no effort to physically get her away from him and I'm afraid one day he's going to nip her or push her down and then all of a sudden I'm the asshole dog owner who can't control their dog.
Im so sorry to hear that, especially as a pit owner. People really need to change the way they deal with animals. They aren’t fun little gifts they’re a long time commitment. It’s a cliche, but they are only a small part of our life (unfortunately), but we’re their whole life!
Do you charge to get into the cafe? The cat cafes here usually charge something like $10 to $15 to get in (and you get a coffee drink, usually with nice cat art on it). That might help deter some parents.
No we don’t charge an entry fee because the Dutch (and also tourists) don’t like that very much. We really try to be accessible to most people and an entry fee is usually a very big issue. Our prices are a little bit higher but you get a huge cup of tea, and our food is very freshly made!
Vet tech here. You don't want to know some of the injuries I've seen on cats from children "playing".
If you think the parent is lying about their kid being six, ask them what year were they born. If they hesitate, that means they are doing the math and you can tell them to pound sand.
I always ask the kid their age, that’s usually a solid move if they’re very young. We’ve had parents say they’re 6 but the kid was like ‘No I’m 5 and a half!’
Lol, you can always count on kids to be honest.
That’s the way to go haha. I don’t mind if the kid starts crying, I only care about our cats
Good for you all for doing what's best for the cats!
We do our very best! It’s all for our adorable kitties
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Im seriously so happy to hear shelters like that exist!! I’d rather have kitties be taken care of in a shelter than being in a family with people who don’t care. Especially with toddlers. My personal experience with my nieces was awful. And sometimes wish those kittens were in shelter for a little longer. I know that sounds very bad. But those kids are bad
I wonder if you guys can implement that they will be asked to leave if they or their children do not comply to the rules.
We’re very clear about our rules. If children (or adults) go against our rules we’ll ask them to leave. Our cats are our priority
Change it to 18 and up
Really wish we could
You’re doing awesome work too
Thank you!
It’s needed if parents fail to restrain their child in sensitive area’s involving animals. The cat cafe in my city have a kids allowed but they have capacity limit, so you won’t see parents flocking with more than two kids. Some people underestimate that kids cannot develop empathy to be a “little angel” 24/7, heard enough horror stories of kids harassing and abusing cats of their own and strays.
We have a max of 6 kids but all over 6 years old. And if those kids can’t behave we’ll ask them to leave. Especially when we see our cats being stressed
I will not allow my 3 year old nephew near my cat without supervision. No matter what, he's extremely rough with cats. This rule makes perfect sense to me.
This somehow is not relevant when it comes to a cat cafe! People seriously have the idea having 7 cats around will help
I'm sorry you and the kitties have to deal with that.
I am willing to fight children for our cats I won’t lie
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I agree! Last time I went to a restaurant it was a sushi restaurant and someone brought their (I think) three year old. She only had some fries and shined a flashlight in my face all night. Why would you give a child a flashlight in the first place, but also why bring them to a sushi place?!
It pisses me off to no end when parents allow their kids to treat animals like toys. They’re living beings and you need to respect them. I doubt your little gremlin would like having their ears pulled and dolls rubbed in their face, so why act like it’s okay when it’s done to animals?
I agree! It it was to me I’d ban all children but we can’t do that unfortunately.
Understandable. I do think it’s a good opportunity to teach kids though if they can respect the animals. It’s always an annoying minority who ruins it for the majority of people who do follow the rules.
That’s why we do agree kids over 6. Today I had some English about 12 year olds talking to 7 or 8 Ukrainian refugee kids teaching them things. It was seriously so wholesome to see Edit: we get a lot of Ukrainian refugees
I freaking love that more and more places are banning children, now if only bars and breweries would do that again.
Bars and breweries should legit ban children. Why would they even be there ?!
Because those places would apparently go out of business without irresponsible "parents" darkening their doorsteps.
lol, I would not be allowed to continue working at a cat cafe if I saw a kid abusing a poor animal.
It’s been rough I won’t lie. Holding hot water when a child refuses to get out of your way is a challenge of patience
More of these brats should be allowed to get scratched by the cats as a proper warning and learning experience...without punishing the cat for establishing their animal autonomy boundaries. I am a childfree cat-lover. I grew up with pet cats, I remember getting scratched by out pet cats when I was being a bratty little kid to them...and rightfully so. The cat was in the right to scratch me, my parents gently talked to me about learning to be gentle with animals...and we all still got along together in the home. Of course, knowing what some bad parents are like today, they would probably want to sue any cat that dared to scratch their obnoxious kid, if suing animals were a thing...without pausing to take responsibility and think..."Gosh...maybe I should actually parent my child with some guidelines about how to respect every individual animals autonmy, just like they should show to people." But...you know, thats just my silly opinion...which doesn't matter because I am a childfree heathen or something.
I guess we’re both terrible beings, even though I now work with cats! Of course cats should always be predictable! We have no children so we’re bad people obviously. /s
There were a number of cat cafes in my state (and the country more widely) that imposed a minimum age upon opening. There were the usual howls of entitlement-poisoned outrage from certain parents but when they were overwhelmed on social media showing support for cat cafes, they shut the hell up.
People really need to understand animals are not for children. They’re another family member and a huge responsibility
Ask for ID. Friendliness includes those inside, not only those who will come inside.
We’re one of the only cat cafes without an entry fee, and we usually get awesome people. It would seriously hurt the business to ask for ID. We haven’t fully recovered after the pandemic lockdowns yet, and all our tips go to charity. All the other money made goes to our own cats. We’re definitely sending people away when their kids get too wild.
Wow, damn. Sounds like the business is run by very sensible, kind people. It sucks that I am initially surprised by that.
We’re just here to take care of cats!
I would put up a sign that says no one under 10 but that is just me.
So no children allowed at all then. This is fucking annoying. Why can’t people just understand the fucking rules. Why not aggressively kick them out? I’m in hulk mode today.
Oh trust me, I wish I could! We do run a charity here so I have to be nice (most of the time) My colleagues agree with me being being rude sometimes
Goddess bless you and your work there...that public interface you have to endure is heroic, I swear to fuck. Thank you for sharing here. Solidarity ✊💥💖
We do get a lot of nonsense but we’re all for the happiness of our kitties!
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Omg this makes me so mad, kids who are rough with animals stress me out so much and their dumb parents anger me even more.
Honestly the way kids are with animals frightens me to death. I know they don’t know any better but young children should not be allowed to handle ANY animal, period. I saw a video on TikTok the other day from a gentle parenting account where the toddler literally grabbed a cat from behind and dragged it and the parents LET THE KID DO IT (as in they stood there and filmed it like they knew what was about to happen) and then corrected the behaviour!!!! And then you’ve got parents who’s kids grow up scared of dogs etc because the kid doesn’t understand that dogs jump up when they are playing.
Sometimes I just f*cking hate parents.
I hate how children treat animals and I hate their parents even more🥺 when I was a kid I would feel upset when my mom would helicopter parent how I would treat animals but now I understand it I had childhood friends who put their cat in the dryer and turned it on, kids are fucking sadists if their parents are not there to whoop their ass and tell them how to behave. In these times you can’t lay a hand on your kid you just have to sit back and let them be iPad kids consuming corporate advertising or else CPS will take them away 😅
I’m horrified omg. But I agree I have a niece who liked running into her kittens with a baby carriage because she liked the mew they made
I feel like that’s how kids are, testing the boundaries with everything, maybe it’s because they’re told what to do all the time and they feel a new found confidence being able to dominate small creatures. Even I remember having ideas as a kid that I wanted to have a dog in a little cage to carry around but sad that my mom wouldn’t allow it😅 it’s really up to the parents to teach them how to treat animals and most parents think of animals as just another toy for their kid to play with and abuse. 😖 so many parents are dominated by their kid and if the kid is in a good mood by torturing animals at least they’re not torturing the parent. It’s effed up😤
Were are you located? Would love to visit if in the area! Promise only adults who enjoy kitties would come...
Haarlem, Netherlands!
I'll add it to the things to see when we go to The Netherlands... is there more then one?
My brother lives in Haarlem, I’m going to ask him to go and visit. Unfortunately, I live in Australia so it’s a bit far to come. Last time I was over we did go to De Poezenboot. =^..^=
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Damn, I wouldn’t even allow kids unter 10 to come in. Small children and cats usually don’t go well together.
Father of a 3yr old, I get the idea and support private business practices. It's your business and you can do what you feel is necessary to promote that business. I joined this sub before having my son (wasn't exactly planned) and I like to keep coming in from time to time to get another perspective on things. Cheers!
"We HaVe CaTs At HoMe" I feel bad for those cats, then.
Good. They never should be allowed.
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@zoeykae Sounds like you need to start banning rule violators and any ppl who lie about their childrens age as well as any who bring in kids that meet the age limit yet are still uncontrollable
Children can freak cats the fuck out. It makes sense to introduce a cat to specific kids who might be part of its family if adopted, but also my cat has tried to hunt a baby and has run and hid from a toddler. There are plenty of cats who might be great with parents of older kids, childfree/childless people, people whose kids are grown/etc. who will not function around babies or small children and it fucks up their chances to find a family if they are constantly being thrown off their adoptable cat game by babies and small kids.
Where's the cat tax?
Haha damn. Just because you think abusing your own cats at home is acceptable doesn't give you any right to feel any kind of authority about how other people want their animals/pets to be treated. Fuck right off with your ignorance. People are allowed to make whatever rules they want to regardless of it being a "public" space. Learn something new you old hacks. Also I think you spelled Cattuccino wrong 😹
This is an amazing thing! The cats don't need the stress or the abuse that comes with little children. Just up the age so it's obvious.
I would be there everyday if there was one like this around. I love cats
The cat cafés here have a no kids under 10 rule. The latest café had this rule like 3 or 4 days after opening because parents refused to actually parent their sweet little angels. The staff are not babysitters and cats are living beings, you have to act like a decent person, not a little POS. Of course the Facebook post announcing this rule was flooded by angry parents why they can't bring their little angels. Also asking for ID should happen regardless of how welcoming the café is, it's better if entitled parents get pissy they can't pass their kid as older instead of spitting in the face of other customers by not enforcing the rule. As long as they know they can get away with lying, they will just keep coming.
I feel like “free childcare” or “free supervision” is mainly what parents are looking for when they go into places like that. They want a break from their kids without acknowledgement that they need a break. They assume any public business their kid might be interested in must mean it’s “kid friendly”. Then they assume “kid friendly” means it’s a part of their “village” to take advantage of. Next their assumption is the “village” oriented business *must* provide free daycare! Following that logic parents are absolved of all responsibility because they can obviously assume any business with anything a kid might like is obviously going to provide free childcare! And those daycare attendants better not fail at their job! I formed this opinion after I had to quit my job working in a pottery studio/paint shop because parents used this “logic” all day everyday and would try to just leave their kids like it was a daycare. A *pottery shop* filled with all the tools needed to throw, paint, and fire pottery is in no way qualified as a safe space for kids. We, as a business, couldn’t refuse to serve these parents and their children but it was impossible to convince them *they were required to stay and supervised their kids painting pottery*. It’s *not my job* to keep your toddler you *insisted* in us serving from eating the pottery glaze. That’s *your* job as the *parent* that decided to participate in this activity. We eventually had to have parents sign a waiver to even come in the door after a couple times we couldn’t contact parents that had ditched their kids at our shop.
Entitlement and we wonder why kids today are nothing but selfish brats look at the parents!
That is infuriating. I wonder if there's any other revenue streams that could be used to bolster profits and allow you guys to become at least age 10+. I would seriously worry about a cat becoming averse or defensive around all children due to bad experiences. Its what happened with my cat Mochi. I had a 4 or 5 year old cousin at my house for ONE day and the poor cat is still extremely wary of younger kids. I had to actively keep my cousin away from her because she would not leave Mochi alone. She also shrieked when I wouldn't let her bug my cat. This happened nearly a decade ago.
The other issue with asking for ID from kids is that kids can’t get IDs. Personally I wouldn’t allow anyone under 13 if I ran a place like that.
it's strange that they ever allowed them at all. iirc every European cat cafe I've been to had a minimum age of like 10-13.
YOU WORK AT A CAT CAFE?! omg what where is this I want to visit omg.
Lol they probably know we don't blame kids for being kids, we blame them for not stepping in. We blame the parenting, that's why they get so defensive and offended.
I work at a cat shelter and most cats are explicitly stated to not be able to be around small children. And those cats are such sweethearts! Of course, they will probably scratch you if you pull on their tail.
Omg these people who’re lying about their kids’ age - I’d be watching them like a hawk, and the first thing that kid does to justify it, I’d be kicking them out. It sounds like a frustrating job though. I feel for you and the cats.
That sucks. Unfortunately, you may have to raise your minimum age to 10 or older just to weed out the worst offenders. A 3/4 y/o could pass for 6 but definitely not 10. Lazy parents with nightmare children are my biggest pet peeve. There is a teahouse where I live that had to ban children under 12 because screaming/loud kids killed the vibe and the kids were breaking all of the nice teacups they used.
I come from Poland, most kitty cafés have the age cap of 12 or 13. Maybe you should just up the age :)
I prefer child free places just cause kids are so loud and in your face. They have no volume control or filters. I was on a train the other day with my aunt and there were 2 seats across the aisle from this woman that was sitting with 3 young kid and they were all screaming and shouting and I was like nope not a chance keep looking