Meow Parlour NYC: A Cafe with Cats in Mind

Sitting at breakfast in Manhattan with my boyfriend, we were discussing what to do for my birthday. He surprised me with a visit to a cat cafe. Yes, you heard right, a cafe where you could order a coffee & hang out with cats! A cat lover's dream.

Walking in, you meet the receptionist. For health purposes, we are advised to fill out a simple informative form, remove our shoes upon entering the room, and sanitize our hands. The staff member then proceeded to tell us some basic rules: one of which was to not pick up the cats, and no flash photography, but to enjoy their different personalities and have fun.

All of the cats were rescues from around the city. Immediately I was overwhelmed with happiness to see them running around in a clean, friendly environment. At MeowParlour, their goal is to assure the safety and proper care for all of their feline friends. Each cat had their own persona—some were sleeping, others were playing tag, and some were laying around curious to see who the visitors were. You could sit on one of the pillows on the floor, or at a bench near by. What I found unique was that they had a small opening in the corner for the shy cats to run into if they felt overwhelmed. The staff had a variety of toys you could choose from to engage with the fuzzy friends. One thing is for sure, I loved every moment here.

You hear about the topic of "Adopt Don't Shop" being debated all over social media platforms. This business takes that statement literally. All cats in the vicinity are spayed, neutered, and vaccinated (and of course available for adoption!). Of course I wanted to take them ALL home with me; leaving at the end of my visit was definitely hard but it felt awesome to know and be a part of something that does such awesome things for cats that essentially could be ignored on the streets of the city. Instead, they are given a fresh start to find their forever family.

If you're ever in the city and want to spend some time with adorable cats, visit MeowParlour NYC at 46 Hester Street, Manhattan, NY.