An evening at the Cat Café: Miriam's Feline Frenzy

With Dara off in Malaysia for her conference, Miriam and I have been left to our own devices in Chiang Mai. For one of our first Miri-Daddy adventures earlier this week, we visited a local Cat Cafe! This allowed Miriam to take her love for cats to a whole new level. Picture Elmyra from Tiny Toon Adventures, but with pigtails and an infectious, only slightly maniacal laugh, that echoes through the café.

As we walked into the cozy little café, Miriam's eyes lit up like fireworks when she first spied the wall covered with platforms holding sleeping kitties. There was a gasp followed by "Daddy, I want to hold them all!!" in a hushed by awefilled voice.

The café was a haven for cat lovers, with felines lounging on every available surface. Miriam, however, had other plans. She darted from one cat to another, her small hands reaching out to pet, hold, and, yes, occasionally squeeze the unsuspecting furballs. "Can we bring this one home?!" she'd exclaim, hugging a rather bewildered tabby who seemed to be questioning its life choices.

In Miriam’s enthusiasm to play with the lethargic cats, she would grab any cat toy in range, thrusting it into the faces of her non-plussed feline playmates. She did finally find a grey cat that would climb all over a cat tower while swatting a toy.

And then, her enthusiasm got the best of her. Miriam, in her pursuit of a particularly speedy Siamese, tripped over a step. She went sprawling, and in the process, almost landed directly on a pudgy calico whose life was flashing briefly before it’s eyes.

Despite the minor chaos, the cats seemed to take it all in stride. One particularly laid-back Siamese even allowed Miriam to dress it up in a tiny hat she found in the café's play

By the end of our visit, Miriam had made quite an impression. The café staff waved us off with smiles, and a few of the cats even seemed to miss their enthusiastic playmate. As we left, Miriam turned to me with a huge smile and asked. "Can we come back tomorrow, Dad? The cats need more exercise"