The Cat Cafés of Charlotte, North Carolina
This southern city has two cat café’s serving delicious drinks to the public and finding homes for homeless cats.
“Time spent with cats is never wasted” – Sigmund Freud
Relax with cats at Daily Mews Cat Café. Photo by Carrie Dow.
One of the most pleasant ways to spend an afternoon that I’ve experienced in many months is sitting on the floor of Mac Tabby Cat Café in Charlotte, North Carolina, while a half dozen curious cats paw, sniff, and walk around my legs. Some lie down expecting me to pet them, which I do. Others, having satisfied their curiosity, walk away to pursue other objects and one steps up onto my lap. After a summer of quarantine fatigue, these furry felines are exactly what my pandemic psyche needs. Mac Tabby is one of two Charlotte cat cafés and both are doing their part to lower the stress of city residents while successfully finding homeless felines new forever families.
Daily Mews Cat Café - Eastway/Plaza Midwood Neighborhood
This house turned café sits back on its lot with a small parking lot out front. The entrance takes guests into the café, but two large windows show visitors the cuteness that awaits them inside the cat lounge. Something I didn’t realize before entering is that the café and cat lounge are separate spaces. Emily Bernhard, Customer Engagement Manager, tells me each area has its own air ventilation because, 1) it was a licensing requirement by the state, and 2) “No one wants to smell litterbox while drinking their latte,” she says laughing. Another significance of this air system is constant air ventilation and circulation to help mitigate coronavirus particulates and other germs from hanging in the air.
Another part of Daily Mews’ COVID-19 protocols including the wearing of masks at all times and only five people allowed in the cat lounge instead of 10-12 to keep people socially distant. Guests during my visit included a woman with her two children using toys to play with the cats and a man enjoying his morning coffee while petting a cat on the bench next to him. During my conversation with Bernhard two cats were sleeping on a soft pad on the bench between us. Occasionally the grey one would slowly open an eye to keep tabs on me.
The café half of Daily Mews features espresso drinks, teas, cans of beer from local breweries and wines by the glass. Photo by Carrie Dow.
Daily Mews’ cat lounge has many windows allowing in copious amounts of sunlight and the windows have bays with cat beds so the cats can sit in the sun all day if they choose. Bernhard says the cats come from local cat rescue Cat Smart Coalition and they have from nine to twelve cats at a time. Lounge visits are limited to 50 minutes so staff have time to clean and disinfect between sessions.
A door in the lounge has a cat door in the bottom that leads to a back room where all the litter boxes and bowls of food for the residents reside. The separate room is also a way for cats to get away from people if they need some quiet time. No cat is forced to stay with humans if they don’t want to. Daily Mews also provides cat boarding services and the back room has several floor-to-ceiling cat condos for those cats. Boarded cats do not mix with adoptable cats and are not part of the cat lounge.
Daily Mews opened two and a half years ago by Andy and Tamara Leicester, tremendous cat lovers according Bernhard.
“They noticed Charlotte is a dog-centric city,” said Bernhard. “Not a bad thing. We have about 30-something dog bars. They definitely noticed a need for something more cat related.”
The café side of Daily Mews includes a retail shop with all kinds of cat-related items including cat face masks for current times. The café offers coffee including espresso drinks and tea along with a selection of regional beers in cans and wines by the glass. After my 11 AM lounge appointment, two women came in for their noon appointment and ordered prosecco to sip while they visited the cats. Playing with cats and sipping wine? What a great way for friends to spend the afternoon.
Mac Tabby Cat Café - NoDa
Mac Tabby is the pet project (see what I did there?) of Lori Konawalik who opened the café in Charlotte’s ultra-cool Noda (North Davidson) neighborhood in 2019, a residential area filled with quirky and unique restaurants, bars, art galleries. and shops. The café is located upstairs in an almost 100-year-old brick building. Also set up as a separate café and cat lounge per state regulations, Mac Tabby has a urban loft feel with multiple windows to let light in the lounge and the cafe has a set of windows up front with bar seating that overlook the bustling street.
Mac Tabby Cat Café overlooks North Davidson Street (NoDa). Photo by Carrie Dow.
Kayty Harrelson, Café Manager, says the residents come from Catering to Cats and Dogs Rescue and they house about 12 cats at a time. Mac Tabby is only allowing 10 people in the cat lounge at a time rather than the 15 people they had in before times. While they prefer guests make a reservation in advance, they do allow drop-in guests if there is room, otherwise guests will have to wait until someone leaves the lounge before going in.
During my visit a man worked on a laptop at a corner high-top table. He had to shoo a curious feline from pawing his computer screen. A mother and daughter sat on low chairs in the opposite corner. The daughter used some toys to keep two cats entertained. While we humans social distance, Mac Tabby’s cats go wherever they want, including jumping up on the table to sniff the contents of my coffee cup. Like Daily Mews, there is a separate room with a cat door the animals can access that holds their litter boxes where they can hide out if they don’t feel like meeting people, but Mac Tabby does not board outside cats.
Spending quality time in the cat lounge at Mac Tabby Cat Café. Photo by Carrie Dow.
After my time was up, I sat in the café side to finish my beverage. The mother and daughter also moved there, mom pulling out a laptop and the daughter settling on a bean bag chair to read a book. I asked Harrelson if people use the space often as a workspace and she said all the time. She said the café had excellent wifi and anyone was welcome to hang out with a hot or cold beverage and work, even if they don’t visit the cats. Per COVID rules, however, masks are always to be worn, unless actively eating or drinking.
If you should decide a Mac Tabby feline needs to become a part of your family, you can put in an application with Mac Tabby in person or on their website. The adoption fee is $155 and the entire amount goes to the animal rescue.
“We don’t profit off the adoptions at all,” says Harrelson. “That includes a medical recovery fee because all of our cats are already spayed or neutered, vaccinated and microchipped. Basically, if your application gets approved, the rescue takes it over from there.” Mac Tabby has adopted 364 cats since they started.
Cost to visit the cat lounge at Mac Tabby is $12 per person for one hour for ages 7 and up and everyone must sign a waiver before entry. With social distancing in mind, the café is offering a special on their private lounge sessions where the entire lounge can be reserved for $95 for up to 10 guests (pre-COVID price was $180). The private experience means no other guests besides who is in your party. Mac Tabby also has special times reserved for families with kids younger than seven twice per month. Visit the website for more information or to reserve a spot.
Kayty Harrelson manages Mac Tabby Cat Cafe. Per North Carolina COVID-19 rules, masks must wore unless actively eating or drinking. Photo by Carrie Dow.
Cat adoptions at Daily Mews cost $150 and take 5-7 days to complete after filling out an application and they have adopted over 300 cats so far. A visit to the cat lounge is $12 per person. Both locations offer Groupons discounts and both look forward to hosting events like cat yoga and cat movie nights when we can all get together again.
Both cafés have photos of current adoptable cats on their websites so you can learn their names before visiting. However, I think the cafés are fun to visit even for those not interested in adopting a cat. After the chaos and confinement of the past few months, hanging out with friendly felines and a refreshing beverage will sooth anyone’s spirit.
“The smallest feline is a masterpiece” – Leonardo da Vinci
To learn more:
Mac Tabby just announced plans to open a second location in Concord, NC. Check this post for updates.
Because cats! Cats chilling at Daily Mews. Photo by Carrie Dow.
