The Shabby Tabby. Catpurrccinos. Meow Parlour. Other than their cutsie names being borderline annoying, these businesses have another thing in common: they’re cat cafes, all located in New York. The cafe part is easy to understand—teas, espresso drinks, pastries—a cafe. But a cat cafe? Picture yourself seated at a table, sipping a latte, and dozens of cats roam around you freely. You can play with them, and if you really want to, adopt one for your own. The very first cat cafe opened in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1998, but it was in Japan where their popularity grew. Eventually they made their way to Europe and then, only recently, North America. And even more recently than that, New York. Ryan Shea, owner of The Shabby Tabby in Sayville, Long Island, had her first visit to a cat cafe in Colorado, in 2017. This was followed by the death of her cat, …