Catfe

Severely underwhelming. While I love the concept of it and the fact that this is aiding in adoption, they tried to slot in too many ppl per reserved hour. The result is too many ppl compared to cats, and some very distressed cats that just want to hide.
Café purchases are pricy, which is understandable to support the operation. The taste is decent and the designs are cute.
Employee that signed us in and explained the rules looked annoyed and unenthusiastic, like she didn’t want to be there.
I really suggest for cat lovers to either visit a shelter or the Richmond Animal Protection Society’s Cat Sanctuary (500+ cats!) to give those cats some much needed and much desired love.
The poor Catfe cats just want to be left alone by visitors continuously trying to wake them up.

I love cats, coffee, and tea. As a result, one would assume that I would be a big fan of Vancouver’s first cat café.
Unfortunately, my experience here was a huge letdown. My wife booked our reservation months in advance. The lady in charge of the room with the cats on the day which I attended was condescending, unfriendly, and rude. She also had an incredibly annoying nasally voice which significantly detracted from the atmosphere of the café. The food was tasteless and overpriced. The only positive thing about Catfe was the cats, which were mostly asleep (as cats tend to be), but were at least friendly and furry. I will not be going back and I recommend that you stay away.

The fuckin’ humans came again today. Some douchebag in a plaid shirt is sitting at a table drinking a latte. He keeps throwing toys at my head while his girlfriend laughs and eats macarons shaped like cats.
They brought their niece. Naturally she found the stick with the bird on it and this bipedal jackass chased me around the room with it for ten minutes. Last week I ate all the feathers on that thing. When they reappeared in the litter box the next day I knew I was in a special kind of hell.
Cat Damon has been doing time here for over 3 months and has spent the last two weeks perched on the second shelf pretending to be asleep. No one chases him with sticks anymore. If we work as a group and all pretend to sleep maybe the humans will stop coming. If Chairman Meow agrees to participate, strike action will commence next week.
Anthony Purrkins is now 6 hours into his hunger strike. He says humans pay the COs eight bucks each for the right to throw toys at our heads and chase us with sticks. This is obviously some sick twisted game for them.
At 6 o’clock we all heard it. The sound that strikes terror into every feline in Gen Pop. Teenage girls. Cats Domino made a run for the segregation unit but he was too slow. Goddam, who keeps letting them in? They smell like popcorn and loneliness. They’ve been here four times and have taken dozens of pictures but have so far been unsuccessful in convincing their parents to adopt us. One of them bought catnip lip balm on the way out. I’ve never been so terrified.
Douchebag just threw another toy at my head. What the fuck is his problem? I swear I’m going to micturate in his latte when he’s not looking.
These humans seem unaware that they are the most annoying species on the planet. Yet we felines are still willing to cohabit with these idiotic primates in exchange for three meals a day and a box to shit in. What are they waiting for?
I hope they start with Cat Damon. I’m not sure how much longer he can handle this place.

My overall experience at the Catfe was pretty good. The lavender meowcaron was very yummy and the London Fog wasn’t bad but as other people have mentioned, all the food items were pricey.
The area with the kitties was very cozy in a minimalistic sort of way. There were a lot of cat-​themed games and toys for visitors to play with. The cats were friendly and easy to approach.
The only qualm I had was that my friend and I were not told that they empty out the cat area every hour to bring in the next group of reservations. The employee did not mention this but of information during our briefing even though she knew we were first timers. Needless to say, we took our sweet time catching up instead of making the most of the hour playing with the kitties and we were surprised when we were told we needed to leave in 5 minutes.
There is a $ 8 fee to play with the cats ($ 5 if you buy things from the café) so make sure you make the most of your time there!

Best place to spend a Sunday afternoon! My boyfriend and I made a reservation 2 months ago, and finally visited the Cafte today! 1 hour admission is $ 5 each with any food or drink purchase. We bought a small aMEOWricano, a MEOWcaron (black currant macaron), a cat cake-​pop, and a vegan chocolate cake. All together plus admission was only $ 22! What a bargain! The food was very delicious and adorable, and the coffee was nice and strong.
The Catfe limits about 16 people per hour visit, and there were 13 cats available; so there were plenty of cats for everyone to play. All the cats were super adorable and playful. There were plenty of cat toys to choose from to entertain the cats. One of the older cats, Minnie, was so friendly, she crawled into my boyfriend’s lap and snuggled with him while purring.
All the staff were very knowledgeable, and were very patient when sharing the cat’s info with us. Some even offered us tips on how to get the cats to like us.
We had a great time, and we will definitely come back again!!!

Today there were more cats to meet. A lot of my prior complaints were explained today. You need to be there ten minutes before your reservation because it does get crowded with people who want their drinks. The drinks are okay and they’re priced quite high like Starbucks and Blenz. Trendy pricing. I would pass it. I tried their ganache Meowcaron this time and it was not only cute but it tasted delicious. I recommend that flavour. I’d eat it for aesthetic novelty but I can get macarons elsewhere.
I really don’t like visiting in the afternoons because the cats were either grumpy, depressed or shy and mostly wanted the employees’ attention. They looked weary from the entire day and the café was overcrowded within half hour. Of course the cats wouldn’t want to be there. There was one friendly Calico who befriended two girls and swished past me.
Everything is topped up price-​wise but I’m sure that people like myself will sometimes overlook it… I mean the merchandise is tempting…

Visited the Catfe today, great concept but I think with 1hr visit restriction and also this many rule imposed to see the cats, it is literally better off that you go visit your friend’s house who has cats. However, this café is perfect for anyone who are interested adopting a cat, you can meet them before you adopt.

I was excited when I found out Vancouver has a Catfe because my dad is a BIG cat lover with no cats of his own so this place would be perfect for him. The appointments are usually all booked up in lighting speed so be sure to check for appointment spot at least 1 month ahead. Plus, Catfe seems to have a high rate of cat adoption so they do run out of cats frequently.
The concept is definitely likable — non-​traditional shelter to allow cat lovers and kids to have a place to play with cats. My dad was really excited about this while I was really excited about how I’m labeled as the thoughtful child.
We arrived at the café 30 minutes early because I didn’t realize foods are allowed in the cat lounge (you must buy your admission ticket at the café first and I wanted to have time to drink my coffee slowly). The coffee was alright but the banana loaf was SO. GOOD: rich yet not too sweet, flavourful but not too too banna-​y (i’m not a big fan of overly bananay flavoured desserts) and the texture was solid but soft at the same time — it was like a fluffy banana loaf, not feathery banana cake. They also have Hello Kitty macarons and cute kitty cupcakes to choose from. Obviously everything is $$$$$$$ there. I’m going to assume that they need money for rent and to paid staff as a non-​profit.
Moving on to the cat lounge…
The interior is spacious, has a nice set up and it’s pretty much a funland for cats. Cat toys are provided for your convenience. I made an appointment at 3 so we can take our time to get there after lunch — which later turned out to be somewhat of a mistake. Walk-​in was opened at 3:10PM and there was just too many people, too little cats (there were about 5 – 6), not to mention that 99% of the cats didn’t really want to interact with the visitors. They were all pretty much taking naps or simply didn’t want to deal with strangers who they have never met and probably will never see again, and this is a huge let down. 3PM was probably their time to nap.
I get it that these cats/​kittens aren’t there to entertain humans and it would be wrong to assume that they have to — but it was definitely disappointing when the experience wasn’t like how you imagine it would be. I foresaw some cats to be unavailable due to napping but didn’t expect ALL of the cats to be like that. You are really just sitting there to look at the cats while you drink your coffee.
Surely enough my dad was very disappointed and we left our 1 hour appointment 30 minutes early; the lounge was getting more crowded too.
All in all, I’m not saying don’t go. I’m saying support local shelters but do know that cat and human interaction isn’t guaranteed if that’s what you were hoping for.
The admission fee is $ 8/​person, $ 5/​person if you make a purchase at the café. Free parking is available as Catfe is located in International Village (2^nd floor) for 2 hours.

Wonderful concept and a worthwhile cause. It’s a great place to meet the cats. This place probably needs to have an hour in the day where visitors are prohibited because those cats do take naps. It’s a bit awkward for visitors like myself to interact with them while they’re asleep. With an hour time limit, there was very little opportunity to engage tired, napping cats. There were too few cats and too many people. It was obnoxious witnessing other patrons trying to engage cats that were clearly asleep.
As a café, there are definitely some areas to work on. The prices are higher than the typical of the downtown area but the quality of their treats does not match the price at all. Alone, I spent $ 21.85 in total (Angelwater latte, four macarons — 2.95 each, which is Soirette’s asking price for theirs, and the entrance fee). If you’re visiting at around 2 PM and the cats are not in the mood to play then you should at least enjoy the food. The Meowcarons were definitely cute for photos but they didn’t taste good. I understand that a portion of the proceeds go to taking care of cats (outside of the café) but it’s still a café that should serve delicious food. The wait times for drinks take a while that I didn’t make it through the other side until ten minutes later.
They have cat-​themed merchandize that rocked my socks off.
Go see the cats then head to Starbucks after.

This was a super fun place to go with a group of friends. We made our reservation two months in advance. Before you enter the room with all the cats your can order coffee and sweets for yourself. The coffee was good and the Early Grey Hello Kitty shaped macaroon was delicious. Unfortunately there was only eight of cats when the maximum capacity is twelve. The cats seem to get more than enough love and they aren’t really willing to play as much as you would expect. However, its a fun activity to do in Vancouver. I would recommend it to tourists and cat lovers.

Place is nice and has a soothing atmosphere. Took the kids since they have been asking for a cat so we came and they loved it. I had cat-​Puccino, not bad and we ordered some baked goodies; macaroons, banana loaf was ok nothing really to rave about. I gave it 4 stars because of the price, I think it’s overpriced. I liked the place but I don’t think I’ll come back.

FIVE STARS for supporting local shelters to find these kitties forever homes. There were 8 cats when we went last night and all of them had pending adoptions, yay! Careful of overstimulation, some of these guys don’t like their backs touched — head pats are good enough. We were quite entertained by one psycho cat, full of energy, running all over the place and trying to steal people’s food. Cute!
TWO STARS for the actual café part. Very slow service and quite dis-​organized. It took about 15 mins for us to order and receive our teas (with only 2 other pairs in front of us in line.) Lots of room for improvement here, but otherwise a very pleasant experience with the kitties.

Very disappointing experience, food prices are very high for the quality/​quantity. Will not be returning.

I have been dying to go to this place since I heard about it on Vancity Buzz. I’m glad that a Facebook friend notified everyone in a status that you have to make a reservation before going or you will likely be turned away. So I made a reservation for today, about three weeks ago or so.
My best friend who loves cats as much as me came with me. It was a bit of a bitch to find the place, as it was in the International Village mall, but luckily we have excellent time management skills and got down there early enough to find it without being late. We checked into the café side of it. There you will find an assortment of pastries and drinks available to order, along with some cat paraphernalia available for purchase (shirts, books, travel mugs, etc).
We then went into the cat part of the Catfe and signed the waiver, read the rules about interacting with the cats. There were seven cats but we saw about 4 as a couple were sleeping. I felt a little bad for the cats; I mean, I’m glad that this business has helped with the adoption of the cats (they had to shut the place for a bit due to lack of cats) but most of them looked frightened or distressed. It makes sense, being surrounded by people all day.
And that was part of the problem I felt: so few cats and way too many people. The literal opposite of the type of place I want to be in. Everybody is crowding around the three cats available so getting time to interact with them is difficult. Or so many people gather that it scares them and they skitter away.
The space they have to roam around is wonderful! Cubbies on the walls, tunnels, plenty of toys. It’s great. The price to get in is 8 bucks or 5 bucks if you purchase a treat from the café side. The food is a bit pricey but I didn’t really care. There is also more souvenirs available for purchase on the cat side: earrings, coin purses, pins. I got a cute little coin purse in the shape of a cat face/​head.
So, seeing as I can’t compare this place to anything else, as I have not been to anything like it, I’m giving it three stars. I wasn’t wowed by it, but I’m glad I visited. You have an hour there and my friend and I left after 25 minutes. Plenty of time in my opinion. Something that stuck with me after is how I would rather volunteer at the SPCA as I feel I would get better/​more interaction with the animals there than I did here. I don’t know if I will return. I feel like I understand what this place is. It’s a cool concept, and it’s still new and working out the kinks. So maybe in time it will be better.

This was a genuinely uncomfortable experience. My cat-​loving boyfriend and I were so excited to come visit the Catfé, planned it out around his birthday and everything. When we arrived at the Catfé fifteen minutes before our reservation, as we had been told to do, we were pushed off, told that they were over capacity and would have to wait. When we finally did get into the cat room, it was completely depressing. While the place is beautiful, and objectively a great home for the kitties, these poor cats are clearly so miserable. They’re overstimulated, want nothing to do with the patrons, and seem almost scared of people approaching them. We ended up leaving not even halfway through our allotted time because we were so uncomfortable with how depressed these cats seemed. Feeling really bad about supporting this: Adopt don’t shop is absolutely a wonderful mantra, but try adopting from somewhere that doesn’t drive the animals to the brink.

I had high expectations for the catfe because it was so hyped up by vancity buzz and my friends. They did email us saying that there was a shortage of cats so I guess that’s a good thing. however they said they had 5 cats but when we got there they only had 3 cats and two of them were new so they never came out. So basically one cat, that didn’t move because it was too fat.
They did not charge us admission on that day so I am not basing this review on the cat situation. However, I do think if they did charge admission for something like this, it would be a little too overpriced considering the set up and the cost for food. We got the vegan chilli and the red pepper quiche. The chilli was cold/​lukewarm which made it really bland. There was not enough flavour and it just did not appeal to me. The concept of a vegan dish was very cool though. The quiche was hot because it was microwaved for us but it tasted a little too eggy if that makes any sense. I would prefer it more if it had more cheese taste to it. But that’s just a personal preference. We also got a London fog tea latte and a vanilla latte. We did really like the London fog latte and definitely recommend it! The total cost for our food came up to $ 27 which was a lot higher than I had expected. Imagine if you had to pay admission on top of that!
The actual experience at the catfe was below average as well. The only cat was being hogged by people sitting around it and we weren’t given a chance to even look at the cat because it was blocked by the people. It was really disappointing. And we drove all the way from Surrey too! I did not get to touch the cat at all because the people wouldn’t move. The time period (one hour) felt very rushed too. They did have some cool board games and such though. I definitely recommend playing Exploding Kittens! Not gonna lie that was the highlight of the Catfe…
To sum up, I have nothing against the cats being adopted, I am glad they found their forever home. But I do think the Catfe is a little overpriced for its quality of service and the quality of their food we received.

The place looks interesting. The way they operate needs improvement. After being to two similar places in Helsinki and Vilnius in Europe this past summer, this place in Vancouver is not that good. First, in the other cities they let you come in and sit down at a table. Someone will then bring a menu and take your order. The drinks and food are prepared in a separate kitchen for health regulations. In Helsinki, there was an entrance fee. In Vilnius, there was just a minimum purchase. In both. They serve drinks in cups, glasses and food on plates. This is much greener than Catfe that serves in disposable packages.
It is a bit annoying that you have to make a reservation in Vancouver or wait for them to let you in.

I have mixed feelings on Catfe.
Having been really excited for Catfe to open, I made a reservation for the first week. Understandably, there would be a few things that need to be tweaked.
I arrived on time for my reservation. You start on the café side, where you order your drinks/​snacks, and pay your entrance. This area felt a little crowed, with everyone arriving. In terms of the café, I liked the variety of baked goods (some even shaped like cats). I was disappointed to see take out cups being used, especially since you have an hour at catfe. One would think that amount of time would be enough to consume your drink in a reusable ceramic cup.
After you’ve paid your entrance fee, you head over to the cat side. Here you are introduced to the rules of catfe (mostly common sense), you sign in and wash your hands.
The catfe space it’s self is beautiful. It’s like a kitties dream! They have fantastic perches, a wonderful wall unit, kitty water fountains, toys, and ample kitty hiding places. For the humans, there are tables (large enough to gather with others), chairs, cat books & cat magazines.
For each hour, 16 people can book a reservation (I think there is also space for 2 walk ins, but I could be wrong on that). On my visit, there were 5 cats. I would have thought there would be more cats, or less people. I think the part I disliked the most, was the other visitors. It was rather unsettling to see others persistently try to wake up the sleeping kitties or hover over kitties who were clearly trying to hide. I left half way through my allotted time.
I really truly like the promotion of ‘adopt don’t shop’, I like the space, and I so wanted to LOVE the idea of returning on a regular basis. But until there are less people, it just doesn’t seem like a environment I want to partake it.
Oh, and if you are looking for cat themed gifts, there is a cute gift shop with a variety of items.

This place is amazing! So much planning and hard work must have gone in to it and it totally paid off! The cats are all adorable and friendly. I will probably wind up going once a week to see the new cats that come in as others get adopted. There are so many delicious pastries and cool gifts to buy. There are so many cute cat earrings and necklaces and pins. I want them ALL!

This place has good coffee and treats (Hello Kitty earl grey macarons?!) and I think all vegetarian foods otherwise. Also it’s basically the jackpot for fortunate shelter cats. It’s so nice in there, it’s majestic even. All the cats in there were like «shucks yes», and everyone was fawning over and taking 1000 photos of them.
It was pretty busy when I went in there so probably make a reservation if you’re hoping to go nuts in the cat section with all your pals, but it’s worth stopping in to check out if there’s walk-​in space or just get a munchie and gawk at everything cat-​related (I bought a mug with a cat on it). Unless you’re afraid of cats and then it’s probably your worst nightmare.

I am SUPER happy and excited that there is now an up and running «Catfe» here in Vancouver!!! The idea that these kitties are being so well taken care of in a nice space is amazing. So much better than being locked up in cages or behind glass in some crappy store in a mall (AHEMMetrotownAHEM). This is a far better alternative. And the fact that you can also adopt these kitties is amazing, since they are coming from the SPCA.
But I must say… I had higher expectations of how the place would run. overall. Maybe since I had visited one previously in South Korea.
Even with having a reservation, the line to get in was… quite slow… Understandably, since the place did just open… But perhaps for the people who don’t necessarily want to purchase a drink or snack, could get through faster by just purchasing their entry ticket on the right side (where the cats live) rather than the left (the café side). It’s really slow waiting in line and waiting for everyone to decide what the want and how they want it and what they have on the menu when all you want to do is get into spend time with the cats. Especially considering there is only an hour window for visiting. By the time everything was said and done, with an appointment made ahead of time, I was only able to be there for about 40 mins.
I’m hoping the Catfe can do a little more research for the future into running a more smooth and seamless service.
The one I visited in Korea worked like this…
You enter the facility, wash you hands and remove your shoes and put on some slippers before entering the actual «Catfe». Then, upon entering, there is a counter where you purchase your ticket (which is about $ 8 – 9). This purchase includes your entry fee AND a drink. Pretty sweet deal. Nice and easy too. No separate lines and waiting.
Just good for thought maybe.
In the end, I’m just happy it’s here. And the kitty merch is pretty darn amazing.
********P.S. Better seating!!! The tables are quite large inside and can easily add an additional 2 – 4 more chairs per table. I found it awkward standing around at times while everyone was sitting and most of the cats are sleepy so nothing really to do but stand around like a creep waiting to pounce on the cats. Hahahaha.

I want to live here! It’s so much nicer than my apartment. Better lighting, higher ceilings, classier music, more comfortable furniture, faster wi-​fi, and tastier coffee. It’s a lot cleaner than my place too – even with five cats living there. I looked into adoption, but they only arrange that for cats.

It took me forever to find this place, literally. I kept walking up and down the block on the outside but there was no such thing as 88 West Pender until someone pointed out after reading about my rant on a meet up group that it was actually
inside Tinseltown. I actually missed it the first time it opened ’cause the organizer of the meet up left 10 minutes into showing up ’cause he decided he wasn’t into it even though myself and two others were on their way and were within the area, therefore, I came back with another cat orientated meet up.
Your have to call to reserve time with the cats which makes complete sense so that the cats don’t get overwhelmed with so many people. There is a $ 5 entry fee if you buy something otherwise it’s $ 8. The discount is not much of one considering that the drinks are way too overpriced and okay, not great but okay. Pastries are way over priced. Not much sitting room, therefore, not a hang out place.
I came in to get some drinks with friends. I am actually allergic to cats and forgot to take my allergy medication, therefore, no cat time for me. I just looked at them. Not munch in terms of snacks or light meals.
I came here ’cause I have been hearing about these kind of cafes forever, especially in Japan.
Not impressed with the visit. I knew face time would be limited with kitties. They’re aiming to get more if they work on their price margins a bit more.
I really tried to find something positive about my experience but was severely underwhelmed.
In conclusion just go to a pet store and stroke through the cage while holding a Starbucks.

Before stepping into the Catfe, and especially if you’re an inexperienced cat owner, your expectations shouldn’t be that they’re there for you to play with during your hour-​long stay. I’ve heard people b*tch and moan that «the cats just slept the whole time and we didn’t get to play with them». Yeah that would kinda suck, but — they’re not circus animals, and cats sleep — a LOT. So there’s a good chance that when you go, cats might be sleeping through the whole thing. Its not exactly a petting zoo, or having your own cat for an hour. Anyhow, the 2 star has nothing to do with the fact that most of the cats were sleeping, but lets start from the beginning.
Admission is $ 8, or $ 5 if you get something from the café, so you might as well get something! But wow, some of the café prices was pure robbery. Between 3 people, $ 22 was spent on 3 drinks (latte, hot choco, espresso), 2 cat shaped shortbread cookies ($ 3 each), and a banana loaf. ARE YOU SERIOUS — if you’re gonna charge someone $ 3 for a cookie, it had better be a gigantic 5″ Starbucks-​sized one. But this was puny, and it sat within the lid of my coffee cup. I know you’re located in Tinseltown, and it may not be the busiest mall, but some of those prices were just ridiculous. The café is located through the left door, with big windows where you can peer into the cat room, where you can observe the animals (observing the animals :))
On through the right door of the café is where you will get to see all the cats (but first you have to go over the house rules, and wash your hands). The ceilings are really high, and along the right side is covered with impressive wooden shelves and cubby holes, with little cat beds and toys. There are also a few cardboard boxes where some cats were snoozing away, a bunch of empty Ikea-​type shelves. The way the shelves were lined up didn’t look like it was meant for the cats to sleep on, maybe its meant to be filled with other things, but I’m not sure.
There are 3 big tables for people to sit down with their drinks, a few magazines and books, and I saw 2 decks of Exploding Kittens — which is pretty fun, you should try it if you get a chance.
The space currently houses 5 adoptable cats, and can accommodate 16 hoomins (plus the workers). I was told that they are trying to work their way up to 12 cats, but they will slowly test it out. When I first got in, 4 of the cats were sleeping, and there was 1 that was sitting in one of the highest cubbies. There were 3 girls petting the cat and taking pictures for at least 10 minutes, but you could tell most people were vying for the cat’s attention. I mostly played Exploding Kittens, but when some cats woke up, I got a bit distracted and hoped it would come curl up next to me. Anyhow, with 16 hoomins, and 5 cats — you’re gonna have a slim chance of getting up close and personal with a cat. Once it wakes up, if you’re in the right place, the right time, and if they like you, they’ll hang around. So while 2 people are playing with a cat, you might have 14 people hovering around, hoping to lure the cat away.
I did go to Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium in London, and that one seemed to have so many things going on (for the cats) so I was feeling a bit less than impressed with this one — plus some of the ridiculous café price. The wooden cubbies are big, and large and spacious… but I guess its just that I’ve seen more things at other places. Such as cat hammocks, a giant running wheel, actual little beds, grass covered shelves. You also got to stay for 2 hours instead of 1. Maybe if this was my first visit to a cat café, I might rate it a little better, but its tough when I’ve been to a café which seemed to be better in many ways.
I kind of regret going on day 2, and in hindsight, would go back in a month or two when they have more cats, and had a chance to adjust a few things (*cough*such as the price of your shortbread cookies. I’m STILL stuck on that!!*cough*)

This is an interesting business model. So you have to pay a fee to see cats and to drinks with cats. Ok…
The place is super small. Located upstair at a mall that is pretty much half empty (must be cheap rent)
If you want to check the place out — you have to make an online reservation.
I suggest going to SPCA for free instead.

As a café, Catfe is OK. It has minimal space and minimal seating on the no-​cats side. Broad tea menu ($ 3.30 for a Starbucks Grande sized cup) but the one I got that had seaweed didn’t taste or smell seaweedy… Anyway, be sure to get two sleeves because one definitely wasn’t enough against the heat of the cup. Coconut water (canned), coffee, and other beverages available, as well as a minimal selection of snacks (making it sub-​par if you are looking for a place to have a light meal).
Obviously the draw here is to be the cats, and you better go in with expectations properly set because otherwise you will feel you wasted $ 5 on the ENTRY FEE (on top of the hassle of making a reservation and signing a waiver before you go in). Yes, you have to pay to see the cats.
TIP: Adopt a stray cat (Free). Or go to a petting zoo (costs you lettuce but you can grope any animals that come into range).
TIP: Might as well pick up a free Catfe pin at the counter where you sign the waiver.
TIP: You have to wash your hands. They have a pile of paper towels that get all wet because people splash water on it moving from faucet to paper towel pile. Bring your own towel?
It is $ 5 to see the cats, or $ 8 if you don’t buy anything. So you might as well get a tea or something while you spend an hour hoping to spend time with a cat. HOPING. When I went, there were way more humans than cats (5 cats total, 3 in hiding), and at 5pm the cats were basically more interested in sleeping than being molested by humans.
You can’t wake them or pick them up – that’s part of the rules.
So… Catfe is NOT like temporarily having a cat as a pet. You will not necessarily get any cat time, especially if other people are more keen on chasing after them with toys to play with them and there are more humans than cats. Maybe that’s why you get an hour — somewhere in there, you might get a turn with the cats. Maybe. Big maybe.
(In case you are done early or have had enough of waiting and want to bail before your hour-​long appointment is over, you can NOT tag in someone who does not have a reservation. I was told it «doesn’t work that way». You could still try it – maybe ask if you can if the person also pays the $ 5 entry fee? I mean, if the limit on humans isn’t exceeded, why not, right?)
They are booked till January and are max 16 persons at a time (plus staff). Not sure what the maximum number of cats in residence will be, but I’m betting not that many. Or maybe not yet. The space is small enough as it is for that many humans.
When I went, the patrons with the cats were either girls, or the few boyfriends dragged there by their girlfriends. So, it’s a great place to meet girls. Not necessarily cute girls, but hey, they are animal lovers (points!) and cat lovers (bonus points). You might be #2 in their life once they adopt a cat, but that’ll probably work out in your favour.
My recommendation is to wait till they finish their shakedown cruise and operate more smoothly.
In the meantime, you can go to the café and just watch how things operate from the no-​cat side. And maybe shop some cutesy cat merchandise, which is bizarrely on the cat-​side but you can probably still sneak in and say you are looking at the merchandise only. Under no circumstances should you pay $ 5 to shop.