My greatest dream was realized when I stepped into Meow Parlour, NYC’s first cat café, located on 46 Hester Street in New York City. For $5 + tax every half hour, you can sip tea, eat pastries and play with a room full of cats to your heart’s content.
Although walk-ins are sometimes allowed, a reservation is usually required since only a limited amount of people are permitted to enter the café at once. (There are only so many cats!) Once you gain access, however, there is an open space that’s decorated with cat-friendly furniture and fun toys.
Before this occasion, I had never been to a cat café, but the concept is popular in Asia. In fact, according to the Meow Parlor website, cat cafes were first opened in the 90s, for two main reasons: 1) small apartment sizes and 2) landlords that didn’t allow pets. Now, you can find cat cafes in several places around the world, including South Korea, Taiwan, Europe, the Middle East and Japan!
