Neko Ngeru Cat Cafe — Restaurant in North Island

I would not recommend you come to this cafe, especially if you have children. We were really excited as I had been to catnip cafe in Christchurch. They were amazing and very accommodating to people with learning disabilities. Sadly we didn’t have the same experience at the neko cafe.

The lady who owns it was very overbearing. The whole room was tense and uncomfortable. She lingered over everyone, constantly telling us things we can’t do. We understand the rules and how to respect the cats but she wouldn’t give us a chance to do this.

She would tell people to quiet down with a rude tone even though she was talking at a loud tone to the whole room. She was visibly annoyed by my 8yr old niece for no reason. She was excited but gentle with the cats, but that wasn’t good enough for her. We know how to teach her to be respectful and calm towards them but she didn’t allow this as she would constantly but in.

Most of the cats don’t feel comfortable around humans. I think this is due to her always being around them and playing with them. They aren’t able to feel comfortable and build relationships with other humans, unlike other cafes I’ve been to. How are you possibly able to adopt a cat if she’s all over them.

Overall it was a tense environment and not a pleasant experience. You can tell from other reviews she doesn’t like kids in the cafe, so maybe she should change the rules to accommodate her wants.

Update to response:

I’m disappointed by the response of this review. I have never given negative feedback before but I really felt it was necessary in this case. The response was petty and condescending. It wasn’t a personal attack. You’re a businness owner and should expect these things, I know we aren’t the only people who felt this way.

In response to the ‘stab’ comment about the furniture. It was a flimsy divider that my niece or the cat knocked. Either way it was by accident when she was being cuddled and sniffed by a cat that took a liking to her. The cat was in a bed they put in front of the divider. It was a safety hazard. I hope you change this since it bothered you so much.

I think it was your husband and he was kind and gentle in his response and completely understood, which we...

If I were to describe this 'cafe', it would be the personification of awkwardness and discomfort.

You are welcomed into a small room where you sit with twelve people, no less, in a cramped space. From the moment you walk in, no warnings are given on which cats you may pet or which ones you may not.

It would be beneficial if the owner could give an introduction into some of the cats and ensure to tell us which ones are approachable and to also to remove some of the awkwardness from the room. You are watched like a hawk by the owner, this felt awful.

I would watch as others would be playing with the cats across the space, and her eyes would dart around the room watching everyone.

The majority of cats were already occupied and I didn't have an opportunity to go and pet any.

When you walk in, my recommendation would be to ensure you find a couch in the middle of the room otherwise you may not interact with many cats.

Another thing to mention is that I wouldn't necessarily call this establishment a 'café' and would rather describe it as a lounge with two sets of tables and chairs and the remainder of furniture including couches, bean bags, and small tables to put your coffees on.

I felt quite disappointed and disheartened with my experience. The owner made no effort to make sure people were comfortable; she didn't invite anyone to pet any of the cats and thus created tension amongst the room. I am certain my partner and I weren't the only ones who felt this, and based on the other one-star reviews, I am not alone.

I think with some improvements we would really enjoy it, however in it's current state we walked off feeling worse than we did when we walked in.

I can't say I would recommend this place to anyone with how I felt at the end of our hour session and think I would rather forewarn people...

I booked this as a treat for my cat-crazy, newly turned 10yo daughter. She took a friend and her younger sister came too. This meant I had to have another adult come with me due to ratio requirements. That was $77 for the 55 minute booking.

As it was a birthday treat in lieu of a party we ordered food and drink which the fabulous cafe below brought up to us. (Highly recommend them!)

The entire time we were in the cat cafe we were watched liked hawks and micromanaged. I completely understand that the cats need to be protected from harm, but none of the sweet girls I brought with me have a rough bone in their bodies, and even us adults felt micromanaged and patronised.

Neko Ngeru would do well to remember their clientele (us mad people who pay through the nose to pat cats!) are cat lovers. It felt like they were running their business with the assumption we were about to do something awful to their cats which left us feeling tense.

The last of our order arrived at 12:45 and one of my girls and I sat down to eat. A very bossy and RUDE woman came in at 12:51 and bluntly told us it was time to leave - 4 minutes early! She explained that she needed to clean up before the next people arrived. As a business owner who runs a business on a pay-by-duration framework I find this unacceptable. You cannot kick people out during a time allotment they have paid for. Any admin, clean up or set up that needs to happen should happen in YOUR time, not theirs. And the rude tone you came in with was revolting and makes me never want to return.

I paid a total of nearly $200 for my girls to have a lovely experience and your busy-body attitudes and micromanaging made for a really disappointing time.

Luckily your cats were cute, but I will not...