It’s no secret that Little E loves cats and I have wanted to take her to a Cat Cafe for some time. The problem I had was that I could only find London-based cafes that all had age limits. This meant that Little E was too young to go in them. This summer MEOW Cat Cafe opened in Halstead Essex. A Cat Cafe that welcomed children and thankfully not too far from us. I booked a visit for Little E as soon as we got the chance.
We love sharing our days out on our blog. Make sure you visit our Days Out and Experiences post to read all about them.
Our Visit To MEOW Cat Cafe
We visited MEOW Cat Cafe on a Saturday when Ethan was at his club. He can get jumpy around some animals so we didn’t think he would like to be in a room full of cats. This made our visit a special treat for Little E, one we kept a secret until we arrived. You have to pre-book your visit and I was able to book the sofa sung in the cafe.
We arrived at the cafe five minutes before our booked time and waited outside to be let in. The staff monitor people entering and exiting the cafe to keep the cats safe. You book a session when you visit the cafe. So a few groups were waiting outside. We were quickly let in group by group at our session start time.
When we were in and seated, I think there were four bookable tables in the cafe, we were told the rules of the cafe. Rules are in place for the cat’s wellbeing and you must follow them. I made sure Little E paid attention pointing out that she must leave any sleeping cats alone. A lot of the smaller cats were asleep when we got there. I did wonder if that meant we wouldn’t get much cat attention but I didn’t need to worry.
With everyone settled our drink and food orders were taken. We ordered hot chocolates, milkshakes, cookies and Bakewell tarts. The food comes individually wrapped. I was already aware of this before our visit. This is to follow food hygiene rules in the cat environment. We had no complaints food-wise, the Bakewell tart was the biggest I have ever seen.
What About The Cats?
When everyone had their drinks and snacks we were introduced to all of the cats. The staff knew all the cats by name and any quirks they had. The smaller cats were still sleeping but the bigger cats came out when called and offered treats.
Little E was in her element, she was very respectful of the cats and waited her turn to meet them. It felt like everyone in the cafe worked together making sure we all got some time with each cat. Little E also met a cat who likes to travel on shoulders.
The visit to the Cat Cafe even brought out Darren’s cat side!
6 Things to Know When Visiting MEOW Cat Cafe
- You Must Book Your Visit – Visits to the cafe are arranged in one-hour time slots. This means you must book your session but this can be done easily online. There is a £7 deposit to reserve your table which is taken off of your final bill when you visit.
- There Is A Small Fee To Visit – To help look after the cats and pay for their upkeep there is a fee to visit. Adults cost £7.00 each to enter. Children between the ages of 2 to 16 cost £3.50 each.
- Food Is Pre-Packaged – There are rules in place to keep both cats and humans safe. This is why the food comes pre-packaged.
- Your Visit Time is Limited – Your booked visit lasts an hour. We found that more than enough time for cat cuddles.
- You Can Adopt The Cats! – MEOW Cat Cafe has partnered with the charity Friends of Felines. All of the cats in the Cafe are up for adoption. Friends of Felines take care of the adoption process ensuring that the cats go to the best forever homes available.
- MEOW Cat Cafe is Autism Friendly – The cafe runs special ASD sessions for people who need it. The sessions are adjusted to make the visitors feel comfortable.
Would We Visit MEOW Cat Cafe Again?
We all enjoyed our visit to the MEOW Cat Cafe. Little E was in her element. She would visit again in a heartbeat. The fact that they do run autism-friendly sessions might make us consider taking Ethan for a visit. I think we will return, possibly for a birthday treat. I love that the MEOW Cat Cafe has been able to help re-home so many cats. We didn’t tell Little E that all the cats were available for adoption, she might have wanted to come home with them all.
We love sharing our days out on our blog. Make sure you visit our Days Out and Experiences post to read all about them.
