Eat, Purr, Love cat cafe Columbus
Cat cafes are getting more and more popular everywhere. A cat cafe is basically a bar where you can drink coffee (or other drinks) in the company of friendly cats, and some cat cafes will even let you adopt these cats if you want to. Well, of course, there is a whole procedure for that, but just so you know - the option is there!
Before a cat cafe opened in Dayton, my closest cat cafe was in Columbus, Ohio, which is situated more than one hour drive away. But since I love cats and I think a cat cafe is a very interesting concept, I decided to check it out.
First of all, do not let the name fool you - you can only purchase drinks in Eat, Purr, Love cat cafe. The name of the place was borrowed from a bestseller book Eat, pray, love. You can buy some tasty drinks, though. Their hazelnut infused coffee is simply delicious, and you can bring it inside the ‘cat room’. All the drinks are served in closed containers, so they minimize the risk of cats drinking your drinks.
One of many friendly, cute and fluffy residents of Eat, purr, love cat cafe.
Where is Eat, Purr, Love cat cafe situated?
You will find Eat, Purr, Love cat cafe in the capital of Ohio - Columbus. The place is not situated in the dead centre of the city, which is perfect, since there will be no problems for you to find a parking spot, and the more remote location of this cat cafe also means less visitors.
You can find this magical place on 3041 Indianola avenue. There is street parking available, just make sure you do not park in any of the so - called ‘loading zones’, which are indicated by a red sign. If you park there, your car might be towed.
Eat, Purr, Love cat cafe is tucked between two other cool places. One of them is a record store with tons of vinyls, and they even sell tapes! (Do you remember them?) The other store is a clothing store, which sells handmade clothes, and I loved all the displayed items. They are, however, pretty expensive, so I decided not to spend any money in there.
How much does it cost?
The cat cafe in my country has a free entry, but you are supposed to actually order something. But how do they cover the costs? The animal societies donate money to them and apparently they receive enough that they do not need to charge people for entering. At least not yet, and I hope it will stay this way.
And since I was used to not having to pay the entrance fee in Europe, I was unpleasantly surprised when I realized that all cat cafes in the United states of America will charge you an hourly fee. The cost helps cover the necessary costs of running the place and taking good care of the cats in the cat cafe. In Eat, Purr, Love cat cafe, the cost is ten dollars per hour, which is really not a huge amount of money, but it is still not free.
How does this cat cafe look like?
Once you enter, you will immediately notice the selection of gifts and souvenirs on your left. The thing that caught my eye the most, is the cat wine! They offer two versions, one of them is Catbernet (from Cabernet), and one of them is Pinot Meow (from Pinot Noir). Do not worry, it does not contain alcohol or anything that would harm your cat, but there is catnip in it, which will, indeed, make your cat act a little drunk.
Home - grown catnip. Cats love it!
Opposite the main door, there is the main desk, where you can sign in, pay, sign a waiver, and, if you want, order some drinks. You will also get a cat - shaped buzzer, that will start vibrating once one hour has passed. And then you are ready to enter the ‘cat room’. The ‘cat room’ is divided into three main parts, which are the following:
The main room with tables and chairs. This is the first place you will see once you enter. This is where most people sit down and drink their drinks (at least a part of it) before venturing off to play with the cats. Once you sit down there, a few cats will come closer to inspect a new visitor. When I was there, two of the cats were pretty shy and were hiding most of the time, but all the others were near people all the time.
The play room. This is the area with a lot of cat toys, books, related to cats, cat colouring books (which you are welcome to use) and cat games. Oh, and super comfortable sofas and amazing, cat - related decor. I was seriously considering asking a staff member if I could buy some of the things, but then I remembered that, once I decide to move again, I will only have two suitcases at most, and I already bought so many things during my first year here that I will probably have to sell some of the things I do not desperately need.
A funny sign that says: I was normal three cats ago. Perfect for crazy cat ladies... like me!
Cat quotes everywhere... and I could not agree more with this one!
The window lounge. This was my favourite part of the Eat, Purr, Love cat cafe. This is basically a comfy lounging area for the cats with a lot of sun and comfortable cushions. If any of the cats are there, you can, of course, go there and pet them.
I know this is meant for the cats, but it looks so comfortable that I just wanted to lay down on it for a few minutes.
After you enter the ‘cat room’, you will get a packet of cat treats that you can give to the cats so they will like you more and you will like them for liking you and possibly adopt them
Then, there is the so - called ‘cat wall’, where they put all the pictures of the adopted cats. And I am telling you, that wall is covered in cat pictures! It is pretty amazing to see how much faster the cats in cat cafes get adopted, comparing to ordinary cat shelters.
Another comfy lounging area for the cats. No wonder cats sleep so much - these cat beds look awesome!
One of the things I loved about this place, is the staff member that was in the ‘cat room’ all the time. Her job is to explain you all the rules, but she also told me everything about the cats in there, their personalities, and we also talked about the cats we have at home.
When one hour passed, I was really sad about the fact that I have to leave, but I was meeting up with one of my friends, so I was not able to stay for another hour. And even if there is a cat cafe in Dayton now, I will still visit the one in Columbus again.
A few words for the end…
I have been to eight cat cafes so far, and I have to say that Eat, Purr, Love is my absolute favourite so far. The quiet setting outside the downtown Columbus ensure not too many visitors, the interior decoration is just fabulous, and the cats are incredibly cute and friendly.
