Tokyo Cat Cafe Shuttered for Animal Neglect

The "Neko no Te" (cat's paw) cafe in Tokyo, where guests could hang out with a hoard of cats as they enjoyed their coffee, has been raided and shut down for animal neglect.

Health inspectors raided the cafe after reports of foul odors at the business, and an increasing number of kittens bred on the premises began to show signs of illness.

The business had reportedly been warned several times by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Bureau of Social Welfare and Public Health about poor hygiene, but did not comply.

"We issued repeated requests but there was no improvement," Yuriko Iwamoto, a spokeswoman from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Bureau of Social Welfare and Public Health told AFP.

"The property wasn't being cleaned properly and it was beginning to smell very bad," she added. "In line with animal welfare laws we were therefore forced to order them to cease business."

Once inside, the inspectors found over  60 cats crammed into just 320 square feet of space. The cafe had reportedly only applied for permits to keep 10 cats, but the unneutered animals bred. Over 40 of the cats appeared to be ill.

"There were more cats than cages," added Iwamoto. "The cages they did have were not properly controlled so they just multiplied."

The cafe licence has been revoked for 30 days.

As of 2015, there were reportedly 58 registered cat cafes across Tokyo.