affoGATO Cat Cafe — Restaurant in Cleveland

I have been to several cat cafe's in multiple states and affoGATO is by far the best. The staff are always friendly and provide the best care to all of the cats. As a frequent visitor and someone who works in veterinary medicine a few things to keep in mind when considering a visit (which I HIGHLY recommend):

Cats are just like people. There are some days that they want all the attention in the world and other days where they just aren't feeling it. If you visit on a day where the cats do not want to be pet, understand that have been through a lot (hence why they are in the care of the APL and in a foster type situation). Absolutely go into your visit knowing that you will see a ton of adorable cats, but do not expect to them to be jumping into your arms. Be respectful and don't force any affection on them if they do not want it. Again, same as people right? Something else to also keep in mind is that these cats have either been relinquished or are strays. They have so many reasons to be scared and apprehensive, so if they seem a little nervous, cut them some slack and be grateful that there are wonderful people like the staff at affoGATO and the APL who are giving them a second chance at life and a chance to find a loving home. Cats are animals. This may seem like common sense, but I bring this up because they do have accidents. I have never met a cat who wears perfume so keep in mind that when you are around animals there may be some odors sometimes. As a side note, if you are worried about being scratched this is something that can generally be avoided if you pay attention to their body language and are respectful to the cats. The staff will ALWAYS warn you of cats that are a little more nervous or spicy. However, again, cats are animals. ANY ANIMAL CAN BITE OR SCRATCH. If this is a risk (albeit small) that you are not comfortable with, you probably should not be around any animals (not only cats). MAKE AN APPOINTMENT. Cats again like people, need breaks! How would you feel if you were approached by people non-stop all day? I can say that I would not be happy. The staff at affoGATO have appointment slots because it is in the best interest of the cats. Caring for pets like cats also involves caring for their mental health so any cafe that just lets hordes of people see the cats is a red flag. Do not be that person that gets mad at the staff for doing what is best for the cats.

affoGATO cat cafe is a wonderful place. As someone who works 80+ hour weeks in emergency veterinary medicine, this is one of my favorite places to unwind and remind myself why I do what I do. The staff have committed their lives to caring for these cats and helping them find homes. They are lucky to be in a safe and loving environment where they have so much room to roam and be cats, which is not an opportunity that every stray/adoptable cat has. In a world where there are WAY too many stray animals (cats especially), we should all be appreciative of businesses like affoGATO. Anyone who visits with respect and understanding of the cats and their situations will have an...

Couldn't rate the food or drink because we didn't purchase after visiting the cats because the lady who controls your visit was so rude to us when it was time to leave. She should give a friendly 5 minutes warning when it is time to leave, but, instead, when your time is up, she turns from a very informative lady who understands the kitties personalities so well into a rude drill sergeant that rudely kicks people out that makes the magic of the visit completely evaporate into thin air and you leave feeling confused and kicked out. She had no patience or understanding for kids who want to say good bye to alI of the cats. It was so disturbing and confusing. There were no other guests waiting for their turn next. There was another group of 2 people there when we arrived. I heard the way the drill sergeant was talking to those ladies when she was indicating they needed to leave, and IF the sergeant was indicating to my group that our time was up also, I didn't respond to her because she was so rude and I won't be talked to that way as a paying guest and she was talking to them on the other side of the room so there was no way she talking to me all the way from over there. Looking back at the whole situation now, I think she actually was trying to talk to me as well, and because I didn't respond to her rudeness so it made her even more mad. Paying guests shouldn't be talked to that way. So sorry we lost track of time because we were thoroughly enjoying the cats, and so sorry the kids love the cats so much they want to say bye to them. Not allowed at this place because every minute is money on other guests. I highly suggest that she gives people 5 minute warnings that there time is running up instead of her abruptly rudely kicking groups out the way she did. I won't come back because of the way our visit was closed and ended. The people in the lobby didn't even really say good bye to us or "thanks for visiting" either and it's probably because we weren't watching the time, that's not our job...we paid you to visit the cats and enjoy our time there...and people lose track of time because they enjoyed the cats so much..isn't that's what supposed to happen??? Guests shouldn't be treated like criminals because they enjoyed themselves so much at their visit they lose track of a whole 5 minutes so a child can say bye to the cats. The sergent should be more compassionate to the guests when its time for us to separate from the cats. Instead she acts like they're all HER cats and she wants everyone to get away from them. It was so bizarre!! And what is a half hour visit at $11 per person anyways? Half hour is hardly anytime to spend with 15 cats...that literally is 2 minutes per cat...should be 45 minute standard visits without having to pay extra. Otherwise, the place is set up very nicely and clean and is the kindest design of an adoption center I've ever seen for the cats so that the kitties can be comfortable and roam freely while waiting for a new home versus waiting in a cage at typical adoption centers. You can see the cats...

I am on the cusp, there was good and bad. When you first walk in the Cafe it is very small and crowed, I was expecting a more quiet environment honestly. It was very loud. The group of people that had the same time slots as our party was a total of 10 people including my group of 4. We were hoping for a more personal experience with the cats. I completely expected a smell…….but not to the degree it actually smelled of cat urine. It was very pungent. It was like a brick wall hitting you in the face when you walked in the cat area. If I’m being honest I gagged until I got used to the smell. The actual area to interact with the cats was quite clean and they had games for customers to play and lots of toys for the cats and lots of places for the cats to hang out and hide. The design of the cat room was super neat. With shelves and ceiling fixtures all of which the cats could get to. The books on the tables made my group giggle. They were quite funny. It’s very awesome this establish is doing so much for these cats. It’s a great idea and concept. The staff were nice and very quick to serve and the price for food beverages were good. And the snacks and coffee were tasty too. They previously advises us to use caution when interacting with the cats but sadly there was only one cat out of all 15 that let people actually pet it and it was a blind cat. The cats that we’re there this time seemed nervous, aggressive & scared. Most of them hissed, swatted and scratched myself or some one in our party. The back room with the litter boxes could stand to be attended to and cleaned. There was also a cat that kept eating plastic and the worker knew and took it away from the cat but later didn’t seem to mind he was eating it again. I’m pretty sure is dangerous for a cat to eat plastic. There were 2 cats that were more friendly then the rest but it was short lived after about 20 minutes and they began aggressive. I’m sure it’s a struggle for these cats to be around other cats and people they are unfamiliar with. And tempers can flair. I feel like maybe some of the cats were more stressed out and it probably was not the best atmosphere for them for the cats and customers safety. Over all it was a decent experience. Thank you for taking in these cats and trying to rehome them to give them a better chance at life and home...