Tucked away in the Lower East Side on Hester Street, between Essex and Ludlow, you will find a quaint little place where you can chill with felines. What am I talking about? I’m talking about a cute feline café called the Meow Parlour. This is the first cat café of its kind in New York City.
As I have mentioned prior, I do virtual volunteer work for an adoption organization called Kitty Kind and I remember one of the volunteers mentioning I should visit the Meow Parlour sometime. Boy I wish I had done so sooner, but oh well. I went to visit this past week with my sister after work.
After checking out the rules on the website, paying the fee, making a reservation and signing a waiver we were all set to visit these cute friendly felines. (I’ll include detailed info below)
So my sister and I met outside and we proceeded to enter. We were greeted by friendly Meow Parlour staff at the door in a glass enclosed entryway. The entryway reminded you of speaking to a bank teller or the corner liquor store guy speaking to the staff through a sliding glass door. I suppose that’s for the safety and security of the cats and keeps them from escaping.
After entering we were informed of the basic rules and sanitized our hands and set our shoes to the side. Now, time for fun. I must say all the cats were friendly and socialized well.
Since it was the end of the day most of the cats were napping and mellow. Only one cat was really rambunctious and running about. A few of my favorite felines were Nuntso, a 12-year-old senior boy who was super confident and friendly. He’s a stocky boy at 18 pounds, chunky fellow, chill, and calm. I also spent time with Nicky, one of two endearing set of siblings that are nicknamed the “Wobblies” due to their neurological feline condition called feline cerebellar hypoplasia. I had never heard of this before, but apparently it’s a non-fatal neurological condition that causes a cat to be “wobbly” in its movements hence the nickname.
Apparently, the condition is permanent however does not worsen over time, but these cats do face challenges with balance and using the litter box. Other than that they both appeared to be content. I also met a sleepy young cat named Yen Yang. She’s cute as a button, black and white and mellow like her mom, Ghost, who was fast asleep in her cat bed along the wall. My sister’s favorites were two black fluffy cats that coincidentally enough had been adopted and were set to be picked up in 48 hours. She also favored another cat by the name of Nikki, a white and grey long-haired fur ball whose cute face and demeanor captured the hearts of most everyone in the place.
Overall I’d estimate there were close to 10 felines in the cat café. All were well socialized and friendly. The rules stipulate no picking up of cats unless you get permission from the staff first. As much as I would have liked to snuggle with one, most were sleeping, but that was fine with me.
I just had a great time surrounding myself with animals. It’s been quite a while. Spending time at the Meow Parlour brought back joy and peace I remember having with my own cats before they passed.
There is something about spending time with animals that brings peace to your soul. It’s like you are home. I could have stayed for hours but life responsibilities go on and I had to get home and my sister had other commitments she had to attend to. If we could have stayed longer we would have. Although we signed up for 30 minutes we ended up staying an extra 30 minutes. (They are flexible and any overtime you take you just pay the extra difference).
Meow Parlour café is a great idea and this cat café is only growing in popularity. Such café’s exist overseas in places like Japan and just now catching on in the United States. I’m sure this trend will spread. With as many animal lovers in the USA, including the New York City area, I’m sure there are plenty of people who would pay the affordable fee to spend some time with cats like me. They also have Wi-Fi too if you want to bring a laptop or small device. Additionally, Meow Parlour has special events like Comedy shows, Bingo and Yoga classes.
Lastly, the staff was super friendly and knowledgeable about the back story of each cat. All cats are adoptable as Meow Parlour has a relationship with Kitty Kind organization. Also, you can buy memorabilia at the café as they sell everything from tote bags and T-shirts to greeting cards and buttons. If this sounds like an interesting adventure you are willing to take, here is more information below.
Things to Know Before You Go
Meow Parlour- www.meowparlour.com
- Reservations are recommended
- You’ll need to sign a waiver form
- Fee is $ 6.00/ 30 min
- No shoes after entering the facility
- Sanitize hands
- No flash photography
- All cats are available for adoption
- Coffee and pastry treats available to order
- MP now offers yoga events, bingo and comedy (see website for details)
- Be careful of your time, you could lose track from having so much fun!
*Note: This is not a paid endorsement of Meow Parlour. My own funds were used to pay admission. These are my own opinions and views. Thank you.
