Mac Tabby Cat Cafe: Charlotte, NC, USA

Contact Information

Address: 3204 N Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28205

Phone:  (704) 890-0373

Hours: W-Sa 12:00-19:00, Su 12-17, Closed M/T

Entrance Fee:  $12/hour

Ratings

Website / Social Media

Website:  mactabby.com

Facebook: @mactabbycatcafe

Instagram:  mactabbycatcafe

Twitter:  @mac_tabby

Cat vs Cafe (80/20)

Mac Fuzzy:  Review of Mac Tabby Cat Cafe

NOTE: Mac Tabby moved to a new location in 2019. This review features their previous location.

I meet a lot of amazing people visiting cat cafes around the world.  Since I'm fairly social, I often bond quickly with these folks, sharing stories of travel, cats and life.

But then there are visits where I feel as though I have found a friend for life.  Such is the case with Lori at Mac Tabby.

The day of our visit, we were greeted with such personable warmth, I wondered if there was a catch.  But as I observed Lori checking in the remaining guests with noon appointments, it became clear it's genuine.

We sat down to talk about the cat cafe and she started off with the stats.  Mac Tabby (named after Lori's beloved tabby Mackerel) is Charlotte's first cat cafe and has been open since December 16, 2017 to great fanfare and huge success.  46 cats had been adopted at the time of our visit in March and they are now at 76 as of May 25, an incredible number for such a short period of time.

Twelve cats are in residence, courtesy of rescue partner Catering to Cats & Dogs.  They do a fantastic job of selecting and socializing cats to be a good fit for the cafe, and they seem to thrive once placed at Mac Tabby, who also control the number of humans in the cat lounge to ensure the kitties aren't stressed.  The day we visited, these rescue cats were friendly, curious and playful, including black and white imp Benny, sweet long-haired Milo and shy, snow-white Hunter.

The cats are cool, but as our conversation continued, it was clear Lori is the heart and soul of the cafe.  The space reflects her personality- open, welcoming and artsy-cool, but it wasn't always so effortless.  Prior to opening, this mom of three endured disappointments (funding and location issues) and worked tirelessly with city officials (navigating defined and undefined regulations) to bring her vision to life. 

Despite the challenges, she approached it all with a sense of humor and a positive mindset that I found inspiring and infectious!

You can even feel the good vibes beyond Mac Tabby's four walls.  The cafe is located in a hip market complex called Area 15.  Lori has found kindred spirits amongst the independent, creative entrepreneurs on premises, which is also felt in the beverages they serve, including coffee from Pure Intentions and kombucha from Lenny Boy Brewing, both local Charlotte businesses.

Our quick chat stretched into an hour as we discussed not only the cat cafe and rescues, but swapped insights about passion projects and life in general.  It was such an invigorating conversation that I can still feel the energy weeks later.  

Proving that even for die hard cat lovers like me, sometimes the human connection can be equally uplifting.

Date Visited:  3/4/18