Tucked into the corner on the second story of a shopping mall between Gastown and Chinatown in Downtown Vancouver, there sits a cat cafe fittingly called Catfe.
Catfe opened its doors as Vancouver’s first cat cafe back on December 14, 2015. According to their website, “Catfe is part cafe, part foster home for cats, and a community gathering space for cat lovers of Vancouver in need of some quality kitty time.”
Since opening about a year and a half ago, Catfe has already adopted out nearly 400 cats! All cats at the cafe are from the BC SPCA.
A Delayed Visit
As Olive and Sophie so kindly let readers know, Ross and I recently went to Vancouver for 11 years (or eight if you ask Olive). And while planning our trip, of course I had to check for any cat cafes. And we were in luck! After learning about Catfe, I quickly made a reservation for the Wednesday we would be in town.
But while in Vancouver, I received an email and voicemail that one of their cats wasn’t feeling well and they would be closed for cleaning during our reservation day. They wanted to adopt out all of the cats, close down and perform a deep cleaning before bringing in a new crew of cats.
We happened to be in the mall when they were cleaning (after visiting a nearby attraction), and the Catfe staff was hard at work sanitizing the cafe. While I know they may not be thrilled to have photos shown of them cleaning, I was happy to see them doing such a thorough job.
A “Quiet” Catfe Experience
Another thing that Catfe did well was to communicate with us. As I mentioned, the staff both emailed and called about the closure, and I was easily able to make another reservation for Friday.
Then, they called and emailed again later in the week to tell us that it would be a “quiet” week with only three cats in the cafe and asked if we wanted to reschedule again. Usually there are eight to 12 cats in the cafe.
Obviously we couldn’t reschedule, so we went with expectations that it wouldn’t be a typical visit to the cat cafe. They also gave us a discount on the already inexpensive entrance price. But I definitely appreciated their efforts to keep us informed all along the way.
Let’s Meet the Cats
We had the first slot of the day on Friday, something I’d learned to do from visiting another cat cafe. The cats are “fresh” and not tired from other visitors yet. The three cats at the cafe that day were…
Toby
Toby is a one-year-old male with lots of energy! And guess what, Toby has already been adopted!
Jojo
This sweetie is a three-year-old female who knows how important it is to keep clean. Obviously that paid off, as Jojo has also already been adopted as well!
Phoebe
I don’t recall Phoebe’s age, but she was a little shy and would retreat to a safe room periodically. But if called, she would come back out and roll over for pets. While not adopted yet, Phoebe does have someone who just filled out an application. So, fingers crossed for her!
More Photos!
In this photo, you can see Toby looking out into the mall. There is a room up front where they can watch the goings-on, and of course mall visitors can see the kitties, too.
Inside the cafe, here is the view the cats have. Looks pretty nice to me.
While not a great photo, you can see the cat door where the cats are able to escape to privacy if too overwhelmed. Phoebe went in there a few times but always came back out. There’s another cat door to this same room on the adjoining wall.
Lots of places for kitties to lounge and climb.
Here I am with Jojo. (Don’t tell the Three Chatty Cats!)
Some cute items from the gift shop. Many of the items were designed or made from local artists.
A Very Nice Cat Cafe
Although there were only three cats at the cafe during our visit, we still had a nice time. We didn’t eat at the cafe, but I did buy a cat-shaped cookie to take with me, which was yummy.
We met two other tourists who were at Catfe getting their kitty fix (they were all the way from Australia). There was also a group of three ladies who I think were regulars. They were simply enjoying their drinks and snacks at a table and were admiring Jojo as she groomed in a cubby hole. One of them commented how she likes that she only sees cats there, not kittens, since kittens are adopted quickly from shelters and it’s the adults who often get overlooked and need to be in the cafe.
If you ever find yourself in Vancouver, I highly recommend checking out Catfe!
Have you been to a cat cafe? What did you think of it?
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I love the idea of cat cafe’s! It’s such an awesome way to have visitors sit down for a bit and mingle, and I can definitely see how it would benefit adoptions!
Kudos to all of these cafes that are popping up. That looks like another winner! I have been to only one and it was in NYC. I was BEYOND impressed!
What a wonderful cat cafe! They’ve been quite successful in finding homes for their kitties, I do hope Phoebe gets adopted soon, she’s so beautiful & sleek! The cafe is so gorgeous, what a great view they have. I love cat cafe’s and I’m dying to visit one soon.
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
Lovely, nice Cat Cafè <3
Ciao
Sid
What a lovely cat cafe. Such a wonderful idea. I hope all of those kitties get adopted.
Yael from PlayingInCatnip.com
When I’m ever out in the West I have to visit Catfé, after all I follow them on Instagram! I’ve only ever been to the one in Montreal where I attended their opening in 2014, Café Chat L’Heureux. I really have to get back there this summer as I was impressed by the decor, the staff and the menu!
So glad you enjoyed your Catfé experience, looks like the cats have some nice views. I love that they’re popping up everywhere.
Whoa! Cool place! Seems like cat cafes have better success at adopting out cats than shelters. Wish we had one closer than NYC.
If you are ever in the Ottawa area – i’ll take you to the one here! I love it and I am not even a ‘cat” person.
I’ve never been to a Cat Cafe … I wish my talents lay there so I could start one here! Catfe sounds like such an amazing place – that truly caters to the cats more than the people who come to see them (that sounds bad … but I mean that they are about the cats’ wellbeing more than staying open under less than ideal circumstances).
When I went to a cat cafe, it was mid-day so most of the cats were sleeping. They didn’t really want to play. Going first thing when they open is good advice!
We must go and see this cat café when we’re in Vancouver. Between Gastown and Chinatown you say….which street? We have been to the café in London….Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium. Lady Di’s was the only cat café we were in and enjoyed it immensely.
Jean
I don’t remember the street, but it is inside the International Village Mall.
The nearest Cat Cafe to us is in Orlando. We think it would be pawsome to visit one!!
The Florida Furkids
What a cool Cat Cafe! And even cooler that they have had so many adoptions.
What an amazing place. I absolutely *must* get myself to a cat cafe!!!
They are doing a wonderful job finding those forever homes and it sure looks like a nice place for them while they are waiting!
That sure looks like a great place for cats to hang out in while looking for a home. They sure have lots of success finding them homes and it is neat that the cats get to interact with people. Thanks for this great post.
That is so cool, and very inspiring!
That looks like a great place to visit. I bet these cuties got adopted quickly.
You have to love people who think outside of the box to put adoptable cats in front of people.
I absolutely love that cat cafes are gaining in popularity! One is opening in a nearby town. Since my husband is allergic to cats and I can’t have another one, I plan to go and have my kitty love there regularly. Catfe looks like a beautiful establishment. I hope Phoebe is adopted soon- black cats are the best!
Catfe looks and sounds awesome. I love that they obviously take really good care of the kitties, and take their health so seriously. Thank you for sharing!
This is a fantastic Idea. And the “kitty agility course” thing. And the love.
This sounds so neat and something I would love.
Sounds like they are super responsible. I love that they have an area where the cats can get some privacy if they need it. That’s definitely quite a view, too!
I have never visited Vancouver or a cat cafe (in any city) but hope to soon.
What a great spot! It would be so much fun to visit these cats. It looks like you were able to meet some really nice kitties.
This sounds like such an awesome place. I love that cat cafes are popping up all over now. Over 400 cats adopted?? WOW! That’s amazing! I hope that Phoebe’s adoption application goes through and that she has a loving family of her own in no time!
Even though I’m a dog person at heart, I really want to go to a cat cafe. This one looks like it is run really well, and I love that they were so conscientious of your time and let you know that they would be closed.
I love the idea of a cat café, we have one in San Francisco also and now that I am on holiday am planning to go there for a coffee one of these days without Layla of course LOL,
It’s absolutely shameful that I am local to Catfe and haven’t made it there yet. I’ve been meaning to since the day it opened, but somehow? It keeps getting pushed off. Perhaps I’m subconsciously afraid Kol will shank me in my sleep? Thanks for the sneak peek of what I’m missing!
I visited my first cat cafe in NYC this past September and it was awesome. I hear there is one about 2 hours from me, so I want to make a trip to visit.
What a wonderful concept, I’ve never experienced a cat cafe. Hopefully one day I can! Hopefully this will catch on and well get one in our area. Thanks for sharing, love how many have been adopted!