Welcome to Wellington’s first Cat Cafe – Neko Ngeru! “Neko” means “cat” in Japanese and “Ngeru” also means “cat” in Māori, so the name translates to “Cat Cafe”!
Ken and Richelle met at the same school in Osaka, Japan, which is Ken’s hometown (Richelle is from San Diego, California). At the time, Ken had two rescued cats (Mi Tu and Madara) and Richelle decided to adopt another (Mao, who was one day away from euthanasia) after they got married. They have taken their three cats to every country they have lived in, Kuwait, the United States, Mexico, and China. Not only did they buy their own cats, but they rescued, fostered, and found homes for many others in the countries they lived in. Shanghai. Ken joined the animal rescue group Bow Meow Shanghai and attended many adoption events, organized two adoption events of his own at the school where he worked, and found homes for many of the cats and dogs he rescued.
Faced with the need to stop teaching physical education due to physical limitations, Ken had the idea to open a cat cafe in New Zealand. While working with rescue groups in Shanghai, it became clear that the main difficulty in adopting animals is giving people the opportunity to meet them. A cat adoption cafe seemed like the perfect way for people to meet a cat in a home-like environment to see if it was the one to bring home.
After a successful crowdfunding campaign and a surprising opening in time, Ken and Richelle learn what it means to have a dream come true. Typically, most of the cats that can be adopted have prospective families waiting for their cat to become available when new cats replace them.
The cafe was successful in finding homes for cats (152 adoptions in three and a half years), but it was not profitable as a social enterprise. For a while, Ken and Richelle were willing to work without pay as the new business owners, but there were not enough customers in Petona for them to pay their employees a living wage. In addition, they found that living away from the cafe didn’t allow them to take care of the cafe’s cats as well as they wanted. So they decided to move.
It took them 11 months to sell their lovely home in Corcoran to pay for the building they bought in Hutt Central, on the corner of High St and Margaret Streets, two blocks from Queensgate Mall. This is the location where they now have a cafe in an area that is more convenient for more of their customers to visit more often. Getting approval and finding a good builder during the quarantine and supply shortages took longer than they expected. But they finished the cat cafe so they can provide the “feline relaxation therapy” you’ve come to expect. As of December 2, 2024, they are open.
You can also help by enjoying the delicious food and drink of our tenants, Cafe Soleil, and by shopping in our retail department, or at our stand at Welly Collective at Courtenay Place, Queensgate and Wellington Station, or on our online shopping page. Of course, telling your friends about Neko Ngera will also help.
