When we heard that the first ever ‘cat cafe’ in North America was opening just a ten minute walk from our office, we had to go. These coffee shops full of playful kitties have long been popular in Tokyo, where strict renter laws prevent most citizens from keeping pets in their apartments, but these havens for cat-lovers are seemingly perfect for New York City where lots of animal lovers can’t keep a pet in their apartment for a different reason, because they just don’t have the space.
When we got to the pop-up at eleven, only one hour after it opened, the line stretched down the sidewalk and doubled back on itself. We took our places at the end of the line, eager to meet the sixteen adorable cats inside (all of whom were up for adoption). After an almost two hour wait, we were allowed into the store to play with the beautiful cats.
Upon entering, we were greeted by a group of friendly baristas from Cafe Grumpy, who offered us a free snack and a “cat’achino.” We requested instead a “macchi’gato,” which came with a very kawaii cat face drawn in the foam. We took our drinks to the back of the store, where the cats were kept. Chaos ensued, but we got some great pictures of the cats.
While Purina’s event was only a pop-up, and an extremely crowded one at that, we hope that it will prove to the city that it has nothing to fear from these cat cafes. We can’t wait until we see them popping up on every corner from Williamsburg to Park Slope. The cat cafe is a fun way for New Yorkers with busy lives and not enough space to get in some quality time with an adorable cat.
If you fall in love with one of the kittens at the Purina One Cat Cafe (or any kitten for that matter), but don’t have enough space in your apartment to adopt, MakeSpace can fix that for you. For $25 a month, we’ll help you clear enough space in your apartment for a litter box and a cat bed, so get out there and find a new best friend.
