Cat Lounge Dublin:  Dublin, Ireland

Contact Information

Address: 1 Haymarket, Smithfield, Dublin 7, D07 CDN0, Ireland

Phone:  N/A

Hours: CLOSED PERMANENTLY

Entrance Fee:  €15 per person/90 minutes

Ratings

Website / Social Media

Website:  catlounge.ie

Facebook: @CatLoungeDublin

Instagram:  

Twitter:  @CatLoungeDublin

Cat vs Cafe (90/10)

Kitten Heaven: Review of Cat Lounge Dublin

* NOTE* This cat cafe has closed permanently.

My visit to Cat Lounge Dublin was like experiencing a shot of pure joy.

This spirit-boosting trip to Dublin began early in the morning at the bus station in Belfast.  After making an online booking (no walk-ins are accepted) a few days in advance, we boarded a coach for the two hour journey through the lovely Irish countryside.

Later, we meandered through the Dublin city center until we came upon Smithfield, an area north of the river Liffey that formerly housed an open air market and today is a major pedestrian thoroughfare.  It is also home to Cat Lounge Dublin.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a kind staffer, formerly a veterinarian from Brazil that indulged me in lively conversation about cats, cat cafes and the differences between Brazilian and Irish food!  She also introduced me to the lounge's inaugural residents, eleven kittens from two litters.  

Despite being only open one month, all of the kittens had been adopted, but were waiting to reach six months of age to be spayed or neutered before joining their new human guardians.  All save Frodo, a tiny polydactyl tabby, who is Cat Lounge's permanent house cat. 

Cat Lounge is a large open space ringed with couches and lots of shearling for cozy naps.  A big cat tree dominates the center of the room with pink furry baskets filled with sleeping cuteness.  It was quiet (no music) but punctuated by joyful high pitched squeals, 'ooohs' and 'awwws' from the patrons.  At one point, a visitor laid on the floor and was promptly covered in a pile of tiny floofballs.  They might not always have kittens in residence, but the set-up is conducive for maximum cat interaction.

I'm lacking superlatives to convey just how cute these kittens were- so incredibly sweet, curious and adorable, I actually cried happy tears.  It remains one of the most memorable cat cafe experiences I've had in 132 visits around the world. 

The lounge moniker is deliberate as the set-up is much like a Japanese cat cafe, without a typical coffee service, however there is a vending machine with coffee drinks available.  Considering all the cuteness on offer, it was easy to forget my coffee addiction for 90 minutes, which is the duration of your booking.  At €15 per person, the fee might be more than other places, but without food and drink sales to support the kitties, this is completely reasonable.  

For a happiness turbo-charge of this magnitude, I found it to be a bargain.

Date Visited:  11/14/17