One night we were wandering around Xintiandi and found ourselves on NonChang road, where we almost walked past the Petit Cat Cafe. A sign on the road points the way into a small alleyway. We wandered in and we found the cafe surrounded by cats (most of whom scarpered as soon as they saw us).

Inside the cafe was only a single cat. This was probably due to it being late – anyone who knows cats understands that they are nocturnal and tend to go out at night. The place serves coffee and beer.

The owner let us look upstairs. The second floor seemed like more of a lounge area, with a few cages with cat beds inside. Our exploration seemed to upset a cat because we suddenly heard a constant meowing from the cupboard.

Inside was a small kitten locked in a box. The owner explained that this was a rescue kitten, and they were keeping it in here away from the other cats until they could have it deflead, wormed and get its injections up to date. He said he was currently looking for someone to adopt it.

We finished our beers and went on our way. The Petit Cat Cafe can be found on Nanchang Road in Shanghai, near Maoming South Road and Ruijin Road. Go there during the day if you want to see more cats than we did.