, or "Cat's House", is part of the Ikebukuro Tokyu Hands

Tokyu Hands

Note: Tokyu Department Store is a different department store run by the same company Tokyu Group.Tokyu Hands Inc., known as , is a Japanese department store. Tokyu Hands is part of the Tokyu Group, its first store opened in Shibuya, Tokyo in 1976...

 store, located on the eighth floor. For the price of admission (¥1000 for an hour with the cats, as of April 12, 2010), customers can interact and play with the 20 or so cats running free around Nekobukuro at any given time.

Nekobukuro is a play on the Japanese word for cat, neko and the location Ikebukuro

Ikebukuro

is a commercial and entertainment district in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. Toshima ward offices, Ikebukuro station, and several shops, restaurants, and enormous department stores are located within city limits....

Because many apartments will not allow pets, and some Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

 residents feel their work schedule may not be compatible with the ownership of an animal, Nekobukuro is viewed as an alternative to pet ownership while still maintaining pet interaction.

List of some of the cats at Nekobukuro

• Norwegian Forest Cat
  Norwegian Forest Cat
  The Norwegian Forest Cat is a breed of domestic cat native to Northern Europe, and adapted to a very cold climate, with top coat of glossy, long, water-shedding hairs, and a woolly undercoat for insulation...
  
  
• Maine Coon
  Maine Coon
  The Maine Coon is a breed of domestic cat with a distinctive physical appearance and valuable hunting skills. It is one of the oldest natural breeds in North America, specifically native to the state of Maine, where it is the official State Cat....
  
  
• Siamese (cat)
  Siamese (cat)
  The Siamese is one of the first distinctly recognized breeds of Oriental cat. The origins of the breed are unknown, but it is believed to be from Thailand. In Thailand, where they are one of several native breeds, they are called Wichian Mat...
  
  
• Russian Blue
  Russian Blue
  The Russian Blue is a cat breed that has a silver-blue coat. These cats are known to be highly intelligent and playful but tend to be timid around strangers...
  
  
• Scottish Fold
  Scottish Fold
  The Scottish Fold is a breed of cat with a natural dominant-gene mutation that makes its ear cartilage contain a fold, causing the ears to bend forward and down towards the front of their head, which gives the cat what is often described as an "owl-like" appearanceOriginally called lop-eared or...
  
  
• Persian (cat)