There are two ways to forget about troubles in life: music and cats.

At the Hey Cat Cafe in Wuhan, Hubei Province, you can have both. About 30 furry creatures, each wearing a red burp cloth with its name on it, welcome and "serve" the guests. The "employees" are all stray(流浪的) black. cats, most of whom were rescued by caring people after being abandoned by their owners.

Opened in September 2021, the cafe is one of the first nonprofit cat cafes in China. Manager Du Fan told China Daily that all the profits are used to help homeless animals.

The 41-year-old said he opened the black cat cafe to dispel(消除) the myth that such cats are "inauspicious", as described in some movies and TV dramas Over the past 17 years, a lot of people have come to Du to ad opt cats, but many said they didn't want black cats. "Actually, in traditional Chinese culture, black cats can drive away evil spirits and bring luck. They should be mascots(吉祥物)," he said. So are black cats as reserved and mysterious as folk tales suggest? Well, perhaps not.

Hearing two young women open the door, six or so passionate "cafe workers" waited and greeted them. When the visitors sat down, one cat rubbed against the bottom of one woman's pants, while another climbed onto her knee. Some of the cats simply fell asleep against the guests 'legs.

While these cats are rescued, they also help people with developmental or social anxiety disorders learn to open their hearts. "Cats possess certain qualities that humans don't have, "Du added. "Many people with psychological problems can find comfort in cats."