Alley Cat is the 1st and only cat cafe in Stratford, Ontario. They opened their doors almost 4 years ago on August 17, 2019, and have been a hit ever since.
What is a Cat Cafe?
Cat cafes started in Taiwan in 1998 and expanded to North America in 2014.
These cafes are themed cafes where visitors can pet, play, and hangout with cats. They are also purr-fect spots to meet other cat lovers and enjoy some tasty, often cat themed, drinks and treats.
At Alley Cat, they have resident cats, adoptable cats and kittens, a cafe full of yummy drinks and treats, as well as lots of cat themed merch.
The Cafe
When you first enter Alley Cat, you enter into the cafe.
Not only does the cafe have adorable cat themed merch for sale, they also have a Meownu with a selection of drinks and treats, such as coffee, KitTea, lemonade, baked goods, soups, and breakfast Purr-itos.
Now, you might be wondering how can you have food, drinks, and cats in the same area?!?! Well, at Alley Cat, you don't. The cafe and the kitty lounge are separated by a glass wall.
Since no food or drinks are allowed in the lounge (for obvious reasons), thanks to the glass wall, you can enjoy an adorable view of napping cats or playful kittens, while sipping on a cat themed latte and munching away on a fur-free waffle.
The Kitty Lounge
Just next to the cafe is the kitty lounge.
To enter the kitty lounge, you have to take off your shoes and wear socks. This is to keep the sweet little fur babies healthy. If you don't have socks, no worries! The cafe has socks you can borrow for a slight fee ($1.50 CAD).
There is also a fee to enter the kitty lounge, $10.50 CAD an hour for adults and $6 CAD an hour for children. When my mother and I went, we paid just over $13 CAD for 30 minutes for both of us. It may seem like a lot to pay to hang out with some cats for an hour, but it's important to remember that the fees are going towards their beautiful mission to help homeless animal populations.
For those concerned about a smell, as their FAQ section states, the kitty lounge is kept extra clean and is very well ventilated. It smells lovely. There's only a slight smell in the small area between the cafe and the kitty lounge where visitors' shoes are kept, but I can't see many cat lovers, like myself, minding the familiar smell.
The Cats
Like I mentioned in the beginning, Alley Cat has resident cats and adoptable cats. The resident cats are cats that live at the cafe, and the adoptable cats are cats that are available for adoption.
These cats come from a variety of animal rescues in the area such as Axel's Imprint Rescue and Sanctuary (AIR), Kitchener Stray Cat Rescue, and Purrfect Haven. To date, 297 cats have been adopted thanks to Alley Cat.
When I visited the cafe, they had 7 residents cats, 2 permanent fosters, and 8 adoptable cats. Let's meet a few of these fur babies!
Resident Cats
I got to meet 4 of the resident cats.
1. Smudge š±
Smudge purrs when sleeping, which is insanely adorable, but has a bad back, so only head pets please!
2. Ricki
Last week over on Instagram, we all got to meet the adorable Ricki š±
3. Clementine š±
Clementine had just woken up from a nap in this photo.
4. Toebeans
Meet the majestic Toebeans over on my Youtube.
Adoptable Cats
I also got to meet 4 of the adoptable cats during my visit.
1. Sheldon š±
Look how cute he is in his bandana! He was such a cuddle bug!
2. Frankie š±
Frankie wasn't feeling very well during my visit, so he stayed asleep in this little nook.
3. Toast š±
Such an adorable and fitting name! I used to call my late cat Mushka burnt sausage as a nickname because she was also a black cat, and looked like a rolled up kielbasa when she slept.
4. Sage
Meet the energetic Sage š± over on my Instagram.
I really recommend checking out Alley Cat. This cafe is purr-fect for cat lovers, people who want a cat but can't have one just yet, are looking for a fur-ever friend, and/or want some pet therapy.
If you'd like to support the permanent and temporary kitties at this cafe, there are a few options available on their website.
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