Sound meditation with cats is ... different. The first of a new series, “Zen & Paws: Sound Healing with Cats,” hosted by Mika Mimura, within Cat Café Moff at Pearlridge Center, included one moment where a cat crawled under a yoga matt.
Another got up on its hind feet to investigate a new sound, she told Aloha State Daily.
“The cats are so cute,” she said.
The first “Zen & Paws” event took place Monday, March 17, with additional sessions scheduled for Monday, March 24, and Monday, April 7, Mimura told Aloha State Daily.
Mimura got a master’s degree from the Osaka College of Music and also attended the Berklee College of Music, according to her website. She spent about 10 years in New York City before moving to Hawaiʻi in 2019. Mimura plays vibraphone, marimba and crystalophone, among other instruments, including wind chimes, crystal bowls and the glockenspiel, a percussion instrument with pitched aluminum or steel bars.
Mimura started playing piano when she was just three years old. When she was six years old, she added the marimba. The vibraphone followed when she was in her 20s.
She usually does sound baths for people, not pets. Some take place at temples or churches. Others at the beach.
Cat Café Moff has several locations at shopping centers across Oʻahu, including at International Market Place in Waikīkī, Pearlridge Center in ʻAiea, and Ala Moana Center in Honolulu. The session at Pearlridge Center was the first event held at that location.
Mimura, herself, has cats. She has noticed her two kitties, Tamago and Bobo, are attracted to sounds. Tamago, in particular, likes to jump on the marimba, she said.
“I knew the sound has vibration,” she said. “And cats can feel it too.”
The idea of combining cats and healing sound meditation came up when Chihiro Kitagawa, a coordinator for Cat Café Moff, attended one of Mimura’s sound baths and then suggested a collaboration that included not just people, but cats.
Each sound meditation with cats lasts an hour. The event starts at 7 p.m. on March 24 and April 7. The cost of the experience is $39. Call to make reservations.
