The Pacific Northwest is finest recognized for the good open air and wet climate.
Turns out, its what’s inside that issues as a result of the three cat cafes of Seattle (2) and Vancouver (1) are nothing however vibrant and sunny.
A 2.5 hour drive separates these world-class cities, and in case you have the time, I extremely advocate you go to each, in addition to their cat cafes. Each kitty emporium is well worth the journey by itself, however stopping by all three would make it an affair, er, trip to recollect.
The Neighbor’s Cat visited three cat cafes in Seattle and Vancouver in November, 2018. We’ve additionally been to Purringtons Cat Lounge in Portland, technically a part of the Pacific Northwest, nevertheless it has since closed and is being re-opened (date TBD) by a brand new set of homeowners.
In a metropolis recognized for espresso and cafe tradition, Meowtropolitan doesn’t disappoint.
Yes, the cats are superior, extra on the kitties in a bit, however let’s speak about how this cat cafe delivers a restaurant expertise to match these fabulous felines!
Open since January, 2016, Meowtropolitan is situated in Seattle’s Fremont district, throughout Lake Union and simply north of downtown. The cafe has a super set-up with a separate full-service espresso store and cat lounge. Both rooms have an excellent loft-like ambiance, with marbled impact concrete flooring, a number of wooden, darkish bricks and uncovered ductwork. The espresso room is extra darkish and atmospheric, whereas the cat lounge is vibrant and cheerful, owing to the big image home windows that flank the bench seating.
Meowtropolitan serves a spread of espresso drinks courtesy of Herkimer, a beloved native roaster. During our go to, I loved a sturdy and flavorful drip espresso whereas my accomplice sipped on the right latte.
There had been nineteen cats in whole the day we visited, seven of that are everlasting residents also referred to as the ‘Knights of Meowtropolitan’ together with Merlin, a pleasant, beautiful Maine Coon-ish kitty that posed like a supermodel.
Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) of Kent is their excellent shelter accomplice and has helped facilitate a tremendous 179 adoptions as of December, 2018. Congratulations!
We discovered a wide range of feline personalities within the cat lounge, starting from shy Sasha, a long-haired magnificence with expressive blue-green eyes to curious Kitsa, a white and calico with longish hair, to Antonio, a daring and assured hunk of ginger love I discovered irresistible!
With loads of room for people and cats to unfold out, the lounge felt very stress-free. The chill vibe quickly had patrons smiling and chatting with each other, resembling my pretty dialog with an area cat lover concerned in rescue and TNR.
The lighthearted ambiance can also be due partly to the employees of Meowtropolitan, pleasant people that genuinely need you to get pleasure from your go to. They gave everybody treats close to the tip of the hour, which is an effective way to make sure everybody has an opportunity to work together with the kitties. Then, they supply a mild five-minutes-to-go announcement which paves the way in which for a swish exit. I discovered this to be a really considerate methodology for managing the one-hour admission construction.
Meowtropolian is equally pleasing for people and cats alike, with an surroundings that makes you need to hang around for hours. A extremely really helpful cease if you end up in Seattle and craving espresso, cats or each!
The majority of US cat cafes characteristic rescued cats which are out there for adoption, and some of these give attention to hard-to-adopt felines, however Neko Cat Cafe takes the idea and provides a brilliant cool issue.
The kitties of Neko are all FLV (Feline Leukemia Virus) optimistic.
There are numerous misconceptions about FLV and the life expectancy of cats which are FLV optimistic. Instead of being doomed to an early demise, based on Best Friends Animal Society, “… the truth is, felines who’re optimistic for the virus can stay wholesome for months or years after their prognosis till the virus turns into energetic.” Some cats can dwell to be 10 to fifteen years outdated if they’re identified as an grownup.
The cats aren’t the one cool motive to go to Neko, which is the Japanese phrase for cat.
Neko can also be one of many hippest cat cafes round. I’ve visited over 200 in 29 international locations, and Neko’s cool issue is true up there with Koneko in New York City. What is it about these Japanese impressed cafes that make them so fashionable?
Located within the Capitol Hill part of downtown Seattle, an edgy space full of bars, eating places and low outlets, Neko suits proper in with its tongue-in-cheek decor and quirky perspective.
We checked in with the pleasant cat bouncer and bartender, Nicole. Yes, I mentioned bartender as a result of whereas they brew espresso, in addition they serve beer and wine. I used to be excited to partake in a canned bubbly Rosé (sure, in a can). Cats and cocktails? Way cool.
Neko had eleven cats in residence that day, most courtesy of Whatcom Humane Society and Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC), however based on Nicole, they’ve sourced cats from everywhere in the US.
Speaking of cats, they included Mochi, a good-looking tabby, Albert, a muted grey tortie and a bevy of probably the most valuable black kitties I’ve each seen- cuddly Quigley, shy Linda and sassy Bette Davis.
Our time within the cat room was pure pleasure. The cats had been curious and pleasant, with Quigley leaping into the lap of 1 delighted patron. The area is small, however discovered it encourages extra social interplay with the kitties.
Neko is certainly memorable and stands out in all the proper methods. From the particular cats, to the ambiance, to the staff- a go to to Neko is no doubt, a unique expertise.
Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends to collect. It’s a time to get pleasure from turkey, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. It’s a time for cats (when isn’t it?).
Record scratch. Wait, is that simply me?
Since I’m not touring full time anymore, I made a decision the 4 day weekend was too invaluable to spend with household, after I might spend it with cats. Sorry, not sorry.
We flew into Seattle on the night time earlier than Thanksgiving and figured an in a single day journey to Vancouver was a no brainer since it will be ‘enterprise as regular’ up north. During a two hour wait on the border, it turned clear that each one of Seattle had deserted their households for Canada. I started to stress that they had been all going to the cat cafe.
After we lastly arrived, I understood the attraction. Vancouver is an especially cool world metropolis. We had been in a position to drive round and catch the native sights whereas ready for the cafe to open at 5 pm.
Open since December, 2015 Catfe is a very pretty cat cafe. Light, open and immaculately clear, there’s heaps to like in regards to the area, however what I adored most was the hip art-gallery vibe that images simply can’t do justice. Throw in a terrific cup of espresso and the sweetest kitties and, voila, you have got the right place for date night time or a meet up with your bestie.
I had the nicest chat with the employees, together with Nina, the supervisor. Adoption depend stands at 633, which is true up there with Pounce, Cat Town Oakland, Brooklyn Cat Cafe and some others by way of most cats adopted at a North American cat cafe. They are partnered with BCSPCA however sometimes have to supply cats from additional afield in British Columbia as a result of profitable efforts of native cat rescue and TNR (trap-neuter-return) group VOKRA (Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association) in decreasing the feral inhabitants round Vancouver.
The day of our go to, we had been fortunate to fulfill a number of of the tribe, together with Chiyo, Suna and Temari, a bonded trio of white and ginger sisters, and Tigger, a good-looking white and tabby boy who was being adopted that very day and sat patiently on his service, ready to be taken to his eternally house.
If you’ve learn my earlier opinions that I’m an enormous supporter of cat cafes that facilitate rescue and adoption- and that my opinions are typically much less Zagat and extra encouraging cheerleader. In this case, Catfe doesn’t want me to clean out the tough edges with intelligent copy. They are genuinely nice individuals who perceive run an excellent cat cafe that serve the wants of each felines and people.
They obtain this stability completely and are amongst the most effective cat cafes on the planet.
Perfect for you, pricey cat lovers, searching for a substitute for your subsequent household vacation gathering.
The Neighbor’s Cat is the alter ego of Paula LaBine, an itinerant cat lover who writes about cat cafes, rescue/adoption & TNR, and has been featured in Miau Magazine, Katzenworld Blog, The Catnip Times and Taiwan Scene. She is presently on a quest to go to each cat café on the planet, 210 in 29 international locations up to now! Find her at theneighborscat.com or on Facebook/Twitter @catcafeviews.
Advertisements
The Neighbor’s Cat is the alter ego of Paula LaBine, an itinerant cat lover who writes about cat cafes, rescue/adoption & TNR, and has been featured in Miau Magazine, Katzenworld Blog, The Catnip Times and Taiwan Scene. She is presently on a quest to go to each cat café on the planet, 217 in 29 international locations up to now! Find her at theneighborscat.com or on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter @catcafeviews.
