Purr Catfe: Fayetteville, AR, USA
Contact Information
Address: 1641 W 15th St #15, Fayetteville, AR 72701
Phone: (479) 301-0993
Hours: Wed-Sun 12:00-18:00; Closed Mon/Tue
Entrance Fee: $8/unlimited time, age 10+
Ratings
Purr-fect!: Review of Purr Catfe
I never get tired of visiting awesome cat cafes and meeting even more amazing cat lovers.
Sometimes, I get sooo hyped up during these visits that I start talking a mile a minute. Such was the case of our visit to Purr and Suzanne, a volunteer, was the unwitting recipient of my enthusiastic garrulousness. Hopefully, she has forgiven me!
You see, it’s kind of hard not to be excited when visiting Purr Catfe, since it’s such a cool experience. A beautiful space with loads of cuddly cats, Purr also happens to be managed by some impressive people.
Purr Catfe was opened in 2016 by Lauren Clingenpeel, a ‘certified cat lady’ according to her bio. A 501(c)3 non-profit, the cafe moved to their current location one year ago as of August, 2018. I wasn’t able to meet Lauren that day, but the volunteers indicated she is truly a compassionate individual dedicated to improving the outcomes for cats in NW Arkansas. She also has an equally committed board of directors, comprised of several local leaders.
The facility is lovely- bright, cheerful, spacious and spotlessly clean. Considering there were 18 cats in residence that day, the level of cleanliness is amazing, a testament to the devoted and caring staff. I loved how it was so neat and tidy, but with plenty of toys for the cats to play with, and elevated spaces for them to jump, climb and express their natural behavior, including access to a contained outdoor ‘catio’. They have done a great job with the space, demonstrating it was created with cats in mind, but also to be a pleasant place for people, too.
The kitties are sourced from several outstanding shelters- Fabulous Felines, Fayetteville Animal Shelter and Springdale Animal Services, which has resulted in an astounding 322 adoptions as of late August (389 as of the end of December). They also have partnered with NWA Community Cat Project, which provides low cost spay and neuter services, training and support for colony care givers, as well as public education on TNR and community cats. NW Arkansas has a very well-organized animal welfare network and these heroes deserve heaps of praise!
Despite all the strides this network has made, they still have some incredible rescue stories, including two sweet kitties that were liberated from a 5x8 storage facility in dramatic fashion. They were placed at Purr and quickly adopted into loving homes, so luckily, this story has a happy ending.
It was quite a squee fest the day we visited because most of the cats at the cafe were actually kittens! The socialization program at Purr has been highly successful and these adorable babies were quite playful and seemed well-adjusted. I got down on the floor to meet lovable ‘buds’ (as Purr refers to them) Jack, Kyle, Toby and Winston, but became completely enamored with precious ginger, Rudy and his expressive eyes.
I also felt my heartstrings tug when I met Mystic, a shy, yet affectionate (he couldn’t get enough head rubs!) boy that preferred the safety of the back room to the wide-open spaces out front.
There were so many fabulous felines to meet and photograph, that between that and talking Suzanne’s ear off (she’s as patient as a saint!), two hours just flew by.
Yes, we spent two hours there, and honestly, could have stayed much longer if we hadn’t had a 3.5 hour drive back to Kansas City. All of this unlimited awesomeness costs just $8 and you can also enjoy unlimited coffee and tea for an additional $2.
I hope that you make time to visit Purr so that you can not only get some quality ‘purr therapy’, but help support the outstanding work they are doing.
Date Visited: 8/18/18
