Catfe: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Contact Information
Address: 88 W Pender St, Vancouver, BC V6B 6N9, Canada (International Village Mall)
Phone: +1 778-379-0060
Hours: Fri-Wed 11:00-19:00; Thu 17:00-19:00
Entrance Fee: $10/hour (CAD)
Ratings
Website / Social Media
Website: catfe.ca
Facebook: @catfe
Instagram: catfe_vancouver
Twitter: @catfe_vancouver
Cat vs Cafe (70/30)
Cat Cafe Perfection: Review of Catfe
Thanksgiving is a time for friends and family to gather. It’s a time to enjoy turkey, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. It’s a time for cats (when isn’t it?).
Record scratch. Wait, is that just me?
Since I’m not traveling full time anymore, I decided the four day weekend was too valuable to spend with family, when I could spend it with cats. Sorry, not sorry.
We flew into Seattle on the night before Thanksgiving and figured an overnight trip to Vancouver was a no-brainer since it would be ‘business as usual’ up north. During a two hour wait at the border, it became clear that all of Seattle had abandoned their families for Canada. I began to fret that they were all going to the cat cafe.
After we finally arrived, I understood the appeal. Vancouver is an extremely cool world city. We were able to drive around and catch the local sights while waiting for the cafe to open at 5 pm.
Open since December, 2015 Catfe is a truly lovely cat cafe. Light, open and immaculately clean, there is lots to love about the space, but what I adored most was the hip art-gallery vibe that photos just can’t do justice. Throw in a great cup of coffee and the sweetest kitties and, voila, you have the perfect place for date night or a catch up with your bestie.
I had the nicest chat with the staff, including Nina, the manager. Adoption count stands at 633, which is right up there with Pounce, Cat Town Oakland, Brooklyn Cat Cafe and a few others in terms of most cats adopted at a North American cat cafe. They are partnered with BCSPCA but occasionally need to source cats from further afield in British Columbia due to the successful efforts of local cat rescue and TNR (trap-neuter-return) organization VOKRA (Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association) in reducing the feral population around Vancouver.
The day of our visit, we were lucky to meet several of the tribe, including Chiyo, Suna and Temari, a bonded trio of white and ginger sisters, and Tigger, a handsome white and tabby boy who was being adopted that very day and sat patiently on his carrier, waiting to be taken to his forever home.
If you’ve read my previous reviews you know that I’m a huge supporter of cat cafes that facilitate rescue and adoption- and that my reviews tend to be less Zagat and more encouraging cheerleader. In this case, Catfe doesn’t need me to smooth out the rough edges with clever copy. They are genuinely great people who understand how to run an outstanding cat cafe that serve the needs of both felines and humans.
They achieve this balance perfectly and are amongst the best cat cafes in the world.
Perfect for you, dear cat lovers, looking for an alternative to your next family holiday gathering.
Date Visited: 11/22/18
