As the great, eccentric, cat-loving American writer William S. Burroughs said, "My relationship with my cats has saved me from a deadly, pervasive ignorance." Long before that, Ancient Egyptians valued dogs' ability to hunt and protect individual families, but people worshipped cats as blessed conduits to divine beings who ruled the spiritual realm. Above all, they're just so fluffy!

We love our good boys and smart kitties; and if we're lucky, they let us look after them. As Ernest Hemingway, one of the greatest cat lovers in history, once said, "A cat has absolute emotional honesty. Human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not." On the other hand, Mark Twain praised canines' class, saying, "The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven, not man's."

Whatever your preference, for a dose of divine pet energy while you're out and about in New York City, stop by one of these pet cafes to soak up some of their adorable grace and brutal honesty.