19 in 2019: Visit a Cat Cafe

Number three on my 19 in 2019 list was the needn’t to be explained “Visit a Cat Cafe!” I’ll go ahead and explain it anyway. I love animals. I like visiting animals at people’s homes or zoos or aquariums. I like looking at pictures of animals. The majority of my Instagram feed is made up of baby animal aggregators, zoos, Internet famous pets, and animal photographers. (The rest, if you are wondering, is crafty folks and hot people.) So, when this new trend of cat cafes started, I was ready. Somehow though, I managed not to make it to one in 2018 even though I really really wanted to. Even though some friends went to some without me! When I started thinking about my 19 in 2019 list, the cat cafe is one of the first activities that sprung to mind.

So, finally, in 2019, I visited my first (and not last) cat cafe, Seattle’s Meowtropolitan. A cat cafe with a pun in the name is right up my alley (cat). This place had everything! There were suspension bridges across the top of the room, a giant cat tree, baskets of toys, cozy places for sleeping and hiding, a huge wheel to run on (do cats even do this?) and even a few cardboard boxes for just for old time’s sake.

Some of the cat there are permanent residents while the majority are up for adoption. They all just roam around the room hanging out while excited visitors desperately walk around trying to win some attention. Some were playful while others hid in cat houses for some alone time. All of them are super cute though and I wanted to take them home with me, especially this beauty with a blue and a green eye.

Seriously! Look at this beauty!

My friend L likened her cat cafe experience to visiting a cat brothel. That made me laugh when she told me and when I got there I couldn’t shake the sentiment. She was right! You just paid for an hour of cat attention (EWWWW. Not THAT kind, but still.) Those floozies are just lounging around waiting for the next batch of desperate people to arrive! They had a backroom they could retreat to if the customers got too handsy.

Tall friend M is not taller than the suspension bridges.

Did I care that I paid for cat attention? NO! Would I do it again? Definitely! Lucky for me a cat cafe is rumored to be opening in Bellingham this Winter.