Cat Cafe Earns Purrs For Altruistic Kitten Adoption And Meow Parlor Purrfection [Video]


For cat lovers with their fur flattened by all those viral adorable-dog videos, New York City’s first cat cafe just might give them a reason to purr. Although the Meow Parlour (yes, that’s really the cafe’s name) only opened this week, it already has a full reservation book. And it’s all for a good cause, because while humans nibble on cookies and slurp coffee, those kittens and cats roaming around are seeking forever homes, reported CNN.

Cafe founders Christina Ha and Emilie Legrand emphasize that they view their parlor as more than a novelty.

“I think we’ll feel really like we’ve made it when we get our first cat adopted,” said Christina.

The duo are working with a no-kill adoption group called KittyKind. Run by volunteers, KittyKind helps 500 to 600 cats annually. While they await their “furever” homes, the kittens and cats are housed in foster residences and cages in a pet store that also is helping.

To help patrons get acquainted with the felines seeking homes, the cats have their own matchmaker profiles posted on the walls. For example, someone who is quiet might like a “bookish” cat, while a high-energy household can go for a kitten described as a “cheerleader.” And the cats have adorable names, from Lucky Lemon to Squinkles.

“It brings tears to my eyes to see Lucky Lemon there,” says Miriam Hibel, a cat adoption counselor who is on KittyKind’s board of directors.

Hibel noted that the group focuses on cats and kittens with special needs. However, before a potential pet qualifies to be shown at the cafe, it must be healthy, non-aggressive, and friendly with other cats.

She is thrilled that the pet parlor ambiance gives patrons the opportunity to recognize the joys of older cats as well as young kittens.

“If you’re sitting at the cat cafe and you’re having a cup of coffee and this beautiful 10-year-old calico cat comes and rubs up against your leg, and you’re someone who is open to adopting, you’re just as likely to have your heart connect to that cat as Julian, who is 10 months old.”

An application, interview, home visit, and adoption fee of $125 is involved before you can give one of the cats a forever home. In the meantime, you can visit the separate storefront (required due to health code regulations), the Meow Parlour Patisserie, to nosh.

As for making a reservation when the Meow Parlour has room again, you’ll need to pay four dollars for half-an-hour, reported WYNC. However, it’s free to look longingly in the window.

And if you do visit, be prepared to remove your shoes, as required.

The New York City Meow Parlour isn’t the only cat cafe. London also has a kitty parlor, shown below.

http://youtu.be/zlLJGWdfPoU

What to do if you don’t live in New York or London and want to get up and close and personal with a cat or kitten? Many adoption groups have special cat rooms where you can meet potential kitty members of your family. And while the holidays are busy, some shelters are holding special pet adoption events complete with the opportunity to meet Santa Paws, as the Inquisitr reported.

[Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images]

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