Have you ever been in a coffee shop that shares its space with cats? Do you want to experience a relaxed setting where you can play with cats and kittens up for adoption? Perhaps your building does not allow animals and you want to spend time with a furry buddy. If any of this interests you head for Meow Parlour on Hester Street in Manhattan.

How Does it Work?
Go to Meow Parlour at 46 Hester Street on the Lower East Side in Manhattan. They have a window where you will make your appointment. Then you head next door to the Macaron Parlor Patisserie featuring Harney and Sons tea, macaroons, scones, muffins, cookies and other baked goods. Order your food and sign the online form releasing responsibility in case you get scratched or bit. Then wait to be called. I only had to wait about 15-20 minutes. You can take your food with you when you hang with your feline friends.
When you return you take off your shoes. They have plenty of toys to tempt the cats with. There are areas in the store for cats to sleep in. There are sitting areas for the humans. When I visited there were some older kittens and younger ones as well as one cat that appeared to be full grown.



You pay on the way out. The cost is $8 for thirty minutes. This helps them pay their heating and electric costs for the premises.
Decor
The location is filled with cat related items for decoration and some for sale. There are books on the shelf you can sit and read while you spend time there, all about cats of course. There are children’s books such as The Cat in the Hat and others.


They also sell cat related items such as t-shirts.
Hours

Purpose
Meow Parlour partners with the shelter Animal Care Centers of NY. The kittens and cats that are at this location are up for adoption. There are opportunities to foster as well.
For more information look here: https://www.meowparlour.com
If you are looking to adopt, foster, or just spend time with a feline friend, travel to Meow Parlour. Its the cat’s meow.
Hurrah for the Emotional Support Kitties!
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Yes, for some people they are. Not everyone in NYC can have pets in their building, so a visit could help you in that respect.
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What a great way to spend an afternoon! Cats can teach you a lot about relaxing! One question -why must you remove shoes?
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I did not ask. I am guessing not to track dirt in. They did have some nice floors.
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While the place doesn’t serve food or drinks, we did get out cats from a cat “lounge”. It is a place you can go hang out with cats. You can bring your own lunch/snack if you want. So far they have adopted out 450 cats!
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They have a partnership with the shop next door. You can bring your own or buy from the shop. The shop next door has excellent food. Yes, Meow Parlor is making shelter animals and adoption more visible.
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Yeah, there are places that do serve food. From what I understand it is too difficult/expensive to get a license to serve food with animals on premise here in this city.
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I need to check out the Japanese one next. Not sure if they have a similar arrangement with a coffee shop. I know other cat cafes have been one month pop ups. I am sure it’s due to city regulations.
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Our cat “cafe” was only going to be a five month pop up but so many people really wanted it to be permanent. I closed down for a few months (or so) because they weren’t expecting to be open permanently and also to look for another place, but they didn’t find one and have been opened (again) since 2016. “Ours” is in San Jose, CA. I believe there is one in San Francisco and Oakland. I haven’t been to either. Some are NOT adoption places, they are just places that the cats live.
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I have seen shop cats in NYC. They walk freely around the business. Near me at least two businesses have shop dogs. Their pets come to work with them.
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My husband works in an office that has two dogs. Everyone that works there that has a dog can bring their dog to work (as long as it can get along with the other dogs).
The Dancing Cat in San Jose is a place where you can adopt the cats that are there. KitTea in San Francisco has residents AND adoptable cats. Cat Town in Oakland adopts out cats. I have read about other “Cat Cafes” that are not adoption facilitators and the cats just live there.
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Not to mention the libraries out there that have cats. I made a post in July about church cats. It is a thing in England. Many of them are strays that the churches end up allowing to stay and feed them. In return the keep the mouse population down.
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Libraries with cats? Hmmm. I guess I – sadly – have not been in a library in a long time. I’ll check it out (your post).
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It sounds like the cat lounge by you is the same concept. They can’t have food prep evidently in the same location.
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Yes, same premise, but when they started they took on the nomenclature “Cat Cafe” since that was the basic idea, but then some people were disappoint in that it wasn’t REALLY a “cafe” at all . . . so they started going by cat lounge, but now I think – not sure – they are trying to go by adoption lounge . . . but I could have that wrong because they also don’t want people to think it is a “high pressure” adoption place. It is really just a cool place to hang out with cats. (Sorry – such a long comment!)
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No worries! It’s fine as it’s relevant.
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It’s funny, I just found out about this place last week…they had a retail stand at a Bryant Park. Going with my daughter when she’s home for break. We went to a cat cafe on Clinton I think. So much fun
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You went to the Japanese one Koneco on Clinton.
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I think that was it. So fun. It has a garden and a basement and chai latte…
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It is a fun spot if you are an animal lover.
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Doesn’t matter that I have a cat and dog. Still have urge to play with more
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It would be hard for most pet lovers to pass them by. Two were in the window when I walked up showing off for passers by.
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What a wonderful project – it is good to see kitties in a relaxed environment.
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Yes, it’s a great idea. Most of the kitties were chill except one older one that would not come close to any of the visitors.
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I worked in a cat shelter in Egypt and we had a living room where you could sit with the cats in a home environment. I brought three cats from Egypt…
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That sounds like a nice set up.
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Cake and cats – couldn’t be a finer combination!
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I love this idea. I know there is one in London as well and I visit there sometimes and next time I will remind myself to go to the cat cafe. Your photos of the cats are wonderful.
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Thanks so much! I have heard there is a dog cafe now. Bring your own dog, but in England I know many pubs allow you to bring your dog.
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