PHX Cat Cafe — Attraction in Phoenix

I came in today, looking to adopt a cat because my daughter moved out recently and took her cat with her when she moved out, and my cat needs a new friend. My cat was not bonded to the other cat, but they did play together, so I was looking for a playful cat for my cat. I researched bonded pairs before I let my daughter move out with her cat and I really had no other choice but to allow my daughter to move out with her cat, although it would’ve been ideal to keep the cats together because they were friends, it was have been fair of me to try to keep my daughter‘s cat from her when we got that cat specifically for my daughter and her cat was bonded to her, so the cat moved with her. She’s obviously still part of the family being that she’s with my daughter.

I came to this cafe today because they have several kittens on the website who are very cute and they even have a sign up in the cafe that says these kittens would do well in a home with another cat, but not in a home with dogs or children

I have no dogs and I have no children (18 year old moved out) and I have one other cat and a large house so plenty of room. I’ve had three pets in the past 12 years and all of them were rescues. I’m an excellent pet parent and all of my pets are still in the family. My dog is with my ex-husband. My daughter’s cat is with her and my cat is with me.

I’m very well qualified to take care of a pet or multiple pets and I would love them like they’re part of my family because they are. I provide regular veterinary care and vaccines for all of my pets while they were with me. I know I am an excellent cat mom.

However, I got the distinct impression that the people at this cat café did not want to let me see the kittens nor adopt them. I asked them point-blank why they did not think the kittens would do well with me and my cat because the sign up on the wall states that the kittens would do well in a home with another cat. The woman I spoke to then said oh they would be too much energy for your cat. My cat is only three years old and he loves to play. He’s very friendly. He’s very affectionate. He’s very sweet and loving and gentle and absolutely loves to play which I had already explained to her so clearly there was some other reason.

Then the manager came over and stated that the kittens are basically feral because the mother was a feral cat, so they don’t do well with humans but they love other cats.

OK if the kittens are feral then why are they up on your website available for adoption and why do you have a sign up that states these cats would do well in a home with another cat?

I really don’t understand what the issue is or when adopting a pet became so hopelessly complicated. You must just be putting the kittens up on the website to get people in with no intention of adopting them out

Furthermore, they stated that none of their single cats would do well in a home with another cat, which I find very difficult to believe considering all of these cats are literally living together in a cat café, and they all seem to be getting along while I was there.

I think these cat rescues really need to rethink their process because quite frankly they are not going find a better pet parent than myself.

If you are serious about adopting a pet, don’t go here as it will be a waste of your time and energy.

Regarding the response, if your kittens are there to be socialized, do not put signs stating kittens available for adoption. Do not put them on your website when they are not adoptable. I drove over an hour to come there, and I was very upfront about what I was looking for. I live in the East Valley and would’ve rather saved the time and gone somewhere else. I didn’t play with your cats because you have a list of rules and most of your cats were sleeping. You clearly were not paying attention because I did pet several cats. However, the rules on your wall clearly state to “let sleeping cats lay” so that’s what I did. Further, the cat you suggested you also stated had some type of infection which I’m not going to...

I went to La Gattara because I love kitties. Food, coffee, and hanging out with 20+ kitties at a time? Sign me up. For those who don't know, all kitties there are up for adoption. Or if you just want to hang out with the kitties and enjoy a latte the staff are super kind and welcoming! What I didn't expect was to find my next best friend. Who is curled up beside me as I type this. I just so happened to bond with a sweet baby girl named Mabel. I spent almost my entire hour there with her and after a week of panicking that someone else would adopt her I reached out. I found out later she had been returned by a previous home and my heart broke, I knew I could give her the home she deserved. Carrie was kind, responsive, and amazing during the adoption process. They send you all of the information needed, all cats are healthy, vaxxed and fixed already. All included. Mabel has been home for over a month, well adjusted, and happy. If you're looking to adopt a new fur baby I strongly recommend La Gattara, what better way to meet a new friend? Just going by and hanging out with the kitties supports them having a safe place to live until they find their forever homes like my Mabel.

This really could be an amazing place. Unfortunately, though, the owner/CEO seems to be completely out of touch with the concept of a cat cafe. If your hope is to go pet or play with the cats, you are likely going to be disappointed. For $18 a person you get to basically sit and stare at the cats for an hour. Attempting to touch or interact with the majority of them will most likely get you reprimanded or even kicked out. This is what the owner had to say: "The fee goes to take care of the cats. And quite honestly, I do wish people could just appreciate being in the presence of cats and not needing to have them doing things the whole time, just sit in there and absorb their peacefulness." While no one expected the cats to be "doing things the whole time", we did expect to be able to interact with the cats more. When we there, there were approximately 10 cats in the lounge. (I'm sure the owner will chime in and say there were 17, but I assure you there were nowhere near that many.) Of those 10ish cats, 2 interacted with the 8 people in the room. I'm sure you can see how that's problematic already. The other 8ish cats were former ferals and/or cats you were not allowed to touch or go near. Some were aggressive and others did not like people. They were absolutely not appropriate for a place whose website advertises that you can come "cuddle and connect" with cats. They were the type of cats that would only be adopted by a very, very specific type of individual. The owner told us that 1 of the cats has been there for a year and a half and even she has never been able to touch her. Our party of 4 did get to play with 1 kitten with a cat wand for 5ish minutes, however, the rest of the time was spent sitting and staring at cats we were not allowed to interact with. Additionally, while we were there the owner and one of her associates held a business meeting in the lounge where they openly talked smack about someone who had recently adopted 2 of their cats. They also discussed other aspects of their business we should not have been privy to. It was completely inappropriate and did not lead to the peaceful environment the owner says you should be enjoying on your visit. A couple days after our visit the owner got on FB to rant about people not following her rules. I tried to nicely explain to her that unless she clearly spells out her expectations (rules) online before people purchase tickets she is going to continue to be frustrated. You can't tell people to come "cuddle and connect" with your cats and then get upset with them for not following your rules when that's not what you deliver. She would hear none of it. She said their mission is to adopt out the cats. That's fine and a perfectly noble thing to do, but if that's the case people that aren't intending to adopt shouldn't be allowed to visit. You also shouldn't be expecting people to pay $18/hr to look at cats to potentially adopt. People can do that at PetsMart for free. Again, this truly could be a great place if the owner would make her expectations and what they do and don't offer...