For nearly a decade, a Hong Kong-style cafe has provided shelter for almost 300 stray cats, but the cha chaan teng is set to close its doors later this month as business can no longer cover the cost of rent.
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Siu Lam-lam, who opened Dundas Cafe in Mong Kok in 2016, said the shutters would come down for good on March 31.
“Nine years feels like a bowl of warm soup, filled with the joy of meeting and the bittersweet feelings of parting,” she wrote in a Facebook post last week. “We thought we could always illuminate the street corner, but there comes a time in life when we must turn around.
“Though it is difficult to part, we choose to conclude this chapter with gratitude.”
Siu told the Post she could no longer afford the monthly rent of HK$70,000 (US$9,000), as customers were choosing cheaper three-dish rice meals and travelling to mainland China in their free time.
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She started adopting stray cats in early 2017 and has since cared for more than 280. While she has managed to find homes for nearly all of them, about 40 still need responsible adopters.