Hello, Kitty: New York’s Cat Café Opens
Meow Parlour’s Hester Street storefront.
New York City now has its first permanent cat café. Meow Parlour, located on Hester Street on the Lower East Side, opened this afternoon with eight cats for the cuddling, a handful of superfans, and a flurry of iPhone camera activity outside. The spot is already a hit, but don’t look for lines around the block: You can only visit Meow Parlour by appointment and the next 60 days are booked solid.
A place to play at Meow Parlour.
Co-owner Christina Ha, the young pastry chef and co-owner of New York’s two Macaron Parlour bakeshops, is not a lifelong cat lover. “It’s a new thing,” she explained. She and her husband, Simon Tung, rescued a starving cat off the street earlier this year, after which the couple became smitten. They went on to adopt another cat, and in the process discovered KittyKind, an adoption organization that now populates Meow Parlour with animals. (All the cats at the café are available for adoption.)
All Meow Parlour cats are available for adoption.
Even though the new hot spot is a place to hang out, drink coffee, and eat snacks—with free WiFi to boot—no food or beverages are sold or prepared on the premises due to Department of Health regulations. Right around the corner is a second location, the Meow Parlour pâtisserie, where visitors can buy Blue Bottle coffee, Harney & Sons tea, cat-shaped macarons, and other baked goods. They can also be delivered to the cat café for free.
Kitty macarons at Meow Parlour pâtisserie.
For those concerned about the cats’ well-being, don’t worry: Ha created a space for kitty respite. When they need a break from being pawed over by humans, the animals can escape behind special cat-sized exits in the wall. And humans: No shoes allowed!
Tiny tunnels provide getaways for cats in need of petting breaks.
New York’s very first cat café opened earlier this year, but it was a temporary project from Purina ONE. Its cat cam was a big hit and lines wrapped around the block. For such a happening city, New York is late to the trend; Seoul, Tokyo, Melbourne, and Oakland already have established spots for their cat lovers.
Meow Parlour, where cats are free to roam.
Ha wouldn’t be surprised to see more cities launch cat cafés. “Between social media, Grumpy Cat, and Lil Bub, it’s okay to be out and proud about how much you love cats,” she said.
Meow Parlour is open seven days a week. It costs $4 per half hour to visit, or $30 for a five-hour visit. (Five hours is the maximum.) Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 3 to 5 p.m. have been set aside for kids (plus guardians).
Cat on guard!
In a feline frenzy?
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