Auburn Valley Humane Society Cat Café — Local services in Auburn

Assistant Manager: April: Unprofessional & Dismissive

We came as a group of three and were assigned a room with very shy kittens. I completely understand that some cats may naturally be shy, but the way this was handled was incredibly frustrating.

When I tried to explain my concerns and suggest ways that our experience could be improved, April cut me off mid-sentence and immediately replied, “I told you in the beginning that some are shy.” Instead of listening, she dismissed me and later even shifted the blame onto me by accusing me of being aggressive. This kind of behavior is unprofessional and unnecessary.

After returning to the room, it was clear that the experience was not worth what we paid. Our room felt lifeless, while the group in the other room was enjoying playful, colorful kittens. Out of fairness, I asked if there was a possibility to rent the other room at a later time or even bring one or two of the more interactive kittens into ours. By then, it seemed April had already painted me as “difficult” to the other staff, because when I approached the counter, the tone from them felt defensive and dismissive before I even finished speaking.

Instead of trying to make things right, April’s “solution” was to suggest a refund in a way that came across as if she simply wanted us gone. We did accept the refund, but the entire situation left a sour taste.

My takeaway: It’s not just about the cats. Customer service matters. Listening to concerns without cutting people off, and not pre-labeling guests as “problematic,” would make a world...

Such a cute place, unfortunately not a whole good lot of things to say. I had called about a week or two in advance to book a birthday visit, seeing how their website said that birthday visits were a free 30 minute visit and birthday guests get a free drink. My friends and I drove an hour from Bellevue area to be there and we were a minute or two late, only to find out that the only person that got free entry and a free drink was me, which I was quite confused about, and they didn’t bother to explain very well neither in person nor on the website. Maybe I read the website wrong, but nowhere on there was there anything stating that it is just the birthday person and not the guests that get free entry, so I assumed as much. Also, after paying for everything, we were 10 minutes into our visit and hadn’t even gotten into the cat room yet, which at that point wasn’t even our fault because they didn’t tell us it would in fact DIG INTO OUR TIME. So I paid $30 for my 3 friend’s tickets only to get 20 minutes of time (not even the full amount) and got rushed out of the room for something that wasn’t our fault and that wasn’t communicated to us at all. They had overbooked the day even though I called in advance and booked in advance, as well as called when we were on our way to tell them that we were running a bit late because of traffic, and yet we still didn’t even get my money’s worth. All in all I wanted to support the humane society and everything, but I truly left with such a sour taste in my mouth, and I most likely will not be...

Don't go here, it's a SCAM. We went with hopes of adoption and quickly fell in love with a kitten there. We were told by employees that he was not currently available for adoption but to watch the website for when he would be. We would have brought him home same day if possible. I called the humane society for more information and they were just as confused as I was. After talking to the manager of the Cafe, we learned that this kitten and his 4 litter mates would NEVER be available for adoption as they are resident cats (which we were never told) AND THEY DID NOT COME FROM THE HUMANE SOCIETY. These 5 kittens came from an "outside vender" which I assume is a backyard breeder. As people who come in to the cafe or walk by see the kittens and immediately fall in love (why wouldn't they, they're kittens!), I cannot help but feel absolutely tricked and offended that not only my money was given to this place, but that they lied to my face about the origin of the kittens and their availability. I will not be returning to a place that uses tactics like this to bring money in from people who are wanting to help animals in need. The humane society told me that they have had many complaints and are not as connected to the Cafe as thought to be, as it is independently operated. The humane society is just as enraged as we are about the Cafe's distorted focus. If you want to help cats in need, visit the humane society, not a place that gets you to pull out your wallet for cute babies that they use as...