Pre-Listening Vocabulary

crop up: to appear suddenly (sometimes temporarily)

fill a void: to provide a feeling or thing that is missing in one’s life

catch on: to become popular

double: to have a secondary purpose

handle: to touch and/or hold in one’s hands

Cat Cafés Are On The Rise

Cat cafés are cropping up in a variety of cities around the world, filling a void for animal lovers who can’t have pets. The first cat café opened in Taiwan in 1998. The idea caught on in Japan where many animal-loving apartment dwellers are not allowed to keep pets. Some cat cafés double as animal rescue shelters and the cats are available for adoption. Owners often charge a fee for handling the animals. The money is used to feed and care for the pets.