On a sun-drenched Saturday, Eddie Metairie wandered around the Cat Town Cafe & Adoption Center, past the miniature-golf-size buildings, cat perches and a bed shaped like a tuna can as he followed Lucia, an independent-minded brown tabby.
在一个阳光普照的周六，艾迪·梅泰里(Eddie Metairie)正在猫镇咖啡馆兼收养中心(Cat Town Cafe & Adoption Center)四处转悠，他跟着一只思想独立的棕色虎斑猫露西亚(Lucia)，经过几处迷你高尔夫球场大小的建筑、几处供猫栖息的高台和一张形如金枪鱼罐头的床。
Going to a shelter to find a cat in a cage “is heartbreaking,” said Mr. Metairie, a project manager at a hotel supply company, but the Cat Town Cafe “feels organic.” He was having fun.
去动物收容所选一只关在笼子里的猫咪“简直令人心碎，”在一家酒店用品公司担任项目经理的梅泰里说，而猫镇咖啡馆“给人很自然的感觉。”他乐在其中。

By the time his $10-an-hour playtime was up, Mr. Metairie had made plans to take the cat home and rename her Amélie.
等到每小时10美元（约合人民币62元）的游戏时间结束时，梅泰里已经打算把这只猫带回家，并为它改名艾米丽(Amélie)了。
The Cat Town Cafe & Adoption Center, which opened in late October and has arranged 52 cat adoptions so far, claims to be the first permanent cat cafe in the United States. Customers line up for locally brewed strong coffee, handmade bagels and “vegan fig nut pop tarts” (the proprietors clearly know their audience). When it is time to visit the cat zone, visitors push through glass doors to another world of lounging cats, all of them candidates for adoption. There are no cages.
猫镇咖啡馆兼收养中心于10月下旬开业，到目前为止，已安排客人收养了52只猫，号称美国第一家永久性的猫主题咖啡馆。客人们排着队来买当地鲜煮的浓咖啡、手工百吉饼和“全素无花果坚果挞”（老板显然很了解咖啡馆的客户群）。到了参观猫区的时间，客人们就会穿过玻璃门，进入另一个世界。那里到处都是懒洋洋的猫咪，都在等着被收养。屋子里是没有笼子的。
Cat cafes are well established in Japan, where there are also owl cafes and penguin bars. There, customers are typically people who need their cat fix, because many apartment buildings in Japan do not allow cats; few cafes serve as adoption centers.
在日本，猫主题咖啡馆已经非常成熟，那里还有猫头鹰主题的咖啡馆和企鹅主题的酒吧。在那个国家里，光临猫主题咖啡馆的客人通常都是那些需要安抚自己爱猫之心的人，因为很多公寓楼里是不许养猫的；于是很少有咖啡馆会扮演收养中心的角色。
In the United States, there have been fitful efforts to establish similar businesses in various cities, but health department rules against keeping animals in the same place where food is served have gotten in the way. Demand, however, is fairly obvious: A pop-up cat cafe in New York City, open for only a few days this year, drew an almost comically long line of customers and high level of attention online.
在美国，已经不时有人在各地开发类似的业务，但是卫生部门规定，不得在为客人供应食品的地方饲养动物，这就对业务发展构成了阻碍。然而市场需求相当明显：纽约市新开的一家猫主题咖啡馆，今年才开张几天，客人就排成了令人瞠目结舌的长龙。在网上也获得了大量关注。
So cat-loving entrepreneurs here have largely ditched the Japanese model in favor of a charitable one that separates the cats from the food and emphasizes adoption. Since Cat Town opened here in Oakland, cat cafes have sprung up in Denver and in Naples, Fla. On Monday, the first permanent cat cafe in Manhattan — Meow Parlour, at 46 Hester Street — opened, started by the owners of Macaron Parlour, a pair of Manhattan bakeries.
因此，本土的爱猫创业人士基本上已经抛弃了日本模式，取而代之的是一个慈善经营模式，将猫和用餐区分离开来，并强调收养。自从猫镇咖啡馆在奥克兰开张后，猫主题咖啡馆就如雨后春笋般，出现在了丹佛和佛罗里达州的那不勒斯(Naples)。本周一（12月15日——译注），曼哈顿第一家永久性的猫主题咖啡馆在海斯特街(Hester Street)46号开张，名为“喵星人会客室”(Meow Parlour)，创立者是曼哈顿一家烘焙店“马卡龙会客室”(Macaron Parlour)的店主夫妇。
When word got out that Meow Parlour was coming, so many people signed up for appointments that the cafe’s website crashed. In 20 hours, 1,000 appointments were filled, said Christina Ha, a co-owner.
当喵星人会客室即将开张的消息传开后，由于注册预约的人数太多，以至于咖啡馆的网站都崩溃了。作为所有者之一，克里斯蒂娜·哈(Christina Ha)说，在20个小时内，1000个预约名额就满了。
More cat cafes are planned for San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle. With the popularity of cat videos and the emergence of individual cats as name-brand stars — if you have not heard of Lil Bub or Grumpy Cat, consult Google — the understudy to man’s best friend seems to be taking center stage.
在旧金山、洛杉矶和西雅图，还有更多正在规划中的猫主题咖啡馆。随着猫视频的走红和明星猫的出现——如果你还没听说过Lil Bub或不爽猫(Grumpy Cat)，请自行谷歌。这些替补“人类最好的朋友”的小家伙，似乎即将占据舞台的中央位置。
“Suddenly, it’s O.K. to show off your cat,” Ms. Ha said. “You’re not a crazy cat lady anymore — you’re the owner of a great cat.”
“突然之间，炫耀自己的猫咪已经变成无伤大雅的事情了，”哈说，“在别人眼里，你已经不再是个疯狂的爱猫女，而变成了萌猫主人。”
While visitors may view a cat cafe as a sort of indoor playspace for cat-loving adults, the intent is serious. An estimated 1.4 million cats (and 1.2 million dogs) are euthanized annually, said Matt Bershadker, the president of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of New York. Those numbers were much higher 10 years ago, he said. “Any innovative effort” to encourage adoption “is extremely important,” he said.
虽然猫主题咖啡馆在客人眼里，或许是爱猫者的室内游乐场，但是它们的初衷是严肃的。位于纽约的美国防止虐待动物协会(American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)的会长马特·柏沙德克尔(Matt Bershadker)说，据估计，每年有140万只猫（及120万条狗）被安乐死。他指出，十年前的数字还要大得多。只要能鼓励收养，“任何具有创新性的努力都是至关重要的。”他说。
Few animals thrive in shelters, with cats having an especially difficult time. Many become sick, and most do not show well, said Joan Schaffner, an expert on animal law and associate professor at George Washington University Law School.
乔治华盛顿大学(George Washington University)法学院的动物法专家、副教授琼·夏弗纳(Joan Schaffner)说，很少有动物能在收容所里茁壮成长，猫在收容所的日子尤其艰难。很多猫都会生病，大多数看起来状况都不好。
It used to be that animal shelters were located next to the town dump, said Rich Avanzino, the chief executive of Maddie’s Fund, a rescue group that has helped fund the Oakland cafe. Things have improved, he said, but, “most cats still are caged.”
麦迪基金会(Maddie’s Fund)是一个救援机构，它帮助奥克兰的那家咖啡馆募集了资金。基金会的首席执行官里奇·阿万奇诺(Rich Avanzino)说，以前动物收容所的旁边就是镇里的垃圾场。他说，现在情况已经好转，但是，“大多数猫依然关在笼子里。”
Mr. Avanzino continued, “That’s why Cat Town Cafe is such great idea — it takes them out of an ugly environment and puts them in an appealing situation where they can connect with lots of people who may adopt them.”
阿万奇诺接着说，“正因为如此，开设猫镇咖啡馆的主意太伟大了——它可以让猫脱离恶劣的环境，享受优越的条件，同很多愿意收养它们的人建立联系。”
Ann Dunn, a co-founder of Cat Town Cafe, runs a rescue organization that finds homes for cats. Her cafe houses older, shy cats that, if not adopted, likely would be killed at a shelter. Ms. Dunn used to work in public housing and became “obsessed with the problem” of unwanted cats. She posted adoption notices on Craigslist, found foster homes for cats and “dreamed of a cat sanctuary with a cafe.” she said. She decided, “If we said, ‘Come meet cats and adopt them,’ probably people wouldn’t come,” but coffee and pastries seemed like a low-pressure lure (and while the food is served away from the cats, people can bring it in when they enter the cat zone).
猫镇咖啡馆的联合创始人安·邓恩(Ann Dunn)，还经营着一家旨在为猫咪寻找住处的救援机构。她的咖啡馆里也收留了一些年纪较大、性格羞怯的猫。这些猫如果没被收养，很可能就会在收容所里被杀死。邓恩曾供职于公共住房机构，没人愿意收养的猫，变成了她的“心病”。她说自己曾在Craigslist网站上发布征集收养者的告示，为猫寻找寄养家庭，“梦想着以咖啡馆的形式开一家猫咪庇护所。”她得出结论，“如果我们说，‘过来看猫吧，你可以收养它们，’人们也许不会来，但是咖啡和糕点似乎是一个没什么压力的诱惑（虽然用餐区和猫活动区是分隔开的，但是人们进入猫活动区的时候，可以把食物带进去）。
She met Adam Myatt, who produced feral cat calendars, using models from his Oakland neighborhood, and shared her obsession. They raised $40,000 on the crowdfunding site Indiegogo to get started. Making money has never been the issue; it is all about saving cats, they said.
她结识了制作野猫日历的亚当·迈亚特(Adam Myatt)。日历模特都是他在奥克兰住的社区里找到的。两人在众筹网站Indiegogo上募集了4万美元，作为起步。他们说，赚钱从来就不是问题；最重要的是要拯救猫。
One recent Saturday, a Swedish tourist came by Cat Town after riding San Francisco’s cable cars. Parents brought their children. Leslie White came with her inhaler, explaining, “I love cats, but I’m allergic to them.”
最近的一个星期六，一名瑞典游客在乘坐了旧金山缆车后，路过猫镇咖啡馆。一般家长都会带孩子进来，而莱斯利·怀特(Leslie White)则带上了她的雾化吸入器，她解释说：“我喜欢猫，但我对它们过敏。”
“If I have a maternal urge,” Ms. White said, snuggling, if momentarily, with a seated cat, “it’s not toward humans, it’s toward cats.”
“如果说我有母性冲动，”怀特说着，做了个依偎的动作，仿佛那一时刻，她的旁边有一只坐着的猫，“那不是对人的，而是对猫的。”
Cat Town has a liberal return policy. A few people who had been providing foster homes decided the cats “were not a good fit,” Ms. Dunn said, and returned them. But that is the exception, and Mr. Myatt predicted that within a year, the cafe will have placed 300 cats in homes. It charges a $50 adoption fee for one cat and $75 for two, and cats with medical issues are free.
猫镇咖啡馆实行宽松的“退货”政策。邓恩表示，有些人家收养了猫之后，觉得它“不太适合住在他们家里”，就把猫送了回来。但是，这种情况只是个例。迈亚特预测，在一年之内，咖啡馆就能帮300只猫找到安家之所。客人领养一只猫，咖啡馆收费50美元（约合人民币310元）；领养两只猫，收费75美元（约合人民币465元）；如果领养的猫患有疾病，则免费。
Ms. Dunn serves as matchmaker. She listened to Robert McCafferty, a retired computer teacher, who said he needed a companion for Rudy, as in Rudolph Valentino, his old cat. (It was not clear who had the greater need for the additional cat, Rudy or his owner.)
邓恩扮演的是媒人的角色。有一次，她接待了退休计算机教师罗伯特·麦卡弗蒂(Robert McCafferty)。麦卡弗蒂说，他需要给自家的老猫鲁迪(Rudy)找个伴。鲁迪得名于电影明星鲁道夫·瓦伦蒂诺(Rudolph Valentino)。（我们也不知道究竟是谁更需要再找一只猫，是鲁迪还是他的主人。）
Ms. Dunn introduced Mr. McCafferty to Winston, a white cat with black splotches who plays well with others.
邓恩给麦卡弗蒂介绍了温斯顿(Winston)——一只很好相处的黑斑白猫。
“I like the companionship — it’s unconditional love,” Mr. McCafferty said as he glanced approvingly at Winston, curled in the tuna can bed. Mr. McCafferty was smitten, if not by the name then by the cat. He eagerly filled out adoption papers and borrowed a cat carrier from Cat Town, then he and his wife took Winston home.
“我喜欢这个伴侣——这是无条件的爱。”麦卡弗蒂说着，赞许地看了一眼温斯顿，他正蜷缩在那张形如金枪鱼罐头的床上。麦卡弗蒂被迷住了，如果迷住他的不是猫的名字，那就是猫咪本身了。他热切地填好收养文件，从猫镇咖啡馆借了运输笼，然后和妻子将温斯顿带回了家。