Right Meow Cat Cafe — Restaurant in Fuquay-Varina

The past few days have been overwhelming. I'm understanding why there may be no other bad reviews of this business since sharing mine has led to targeted harassment, name calling, & pressure to remove my personal experience. The business has yet to remove or clarify the social media post that many have interpreted as an invitation to pile on. Since that post remains public and uncorrected, I want to provide further context for those who are now actively seeking out my review. This was our very first visit to a cat café—we had no idea how the process worked. This review is for others like me, who may be unfamiliar with things like age restrictions (which I initially assumed meant no minors w/o a parent, not that kids under six were entirely prohibited). When we arrived, the business had multiple time slots still available later that afternoon. I was happy to wait at the park across the street if needed.

I entered with a smile and said, “Hey! I definitely need a coffee and I’m not sure if we can see the cats today or...?” No signage up front mentioned age rules—just cheerful signs that excited my kids for weeks.

We made this stop spontaneously while I was already driving, & I do not text and drive—so no, I didn’t see the website beforehand. My son had just started a round of steroids for a medical issue, and animals are one of the only things that bring him real comfort. This is exactly what the business advertises: therapeutic animal companionship. I was told that no exceptions could be made for his age, even though there’s only one 30-minute block per week for younger children. (I understand & commend them for prioritizing the needs of the animals.). The only explanation I received at the time was that "kids have short attention spans." Nothing was said about animal stress, sensory sensitivities, or other more thoughtful reasoning. In the moment, that response felt dismissive, & frankly, like an excuse. It left us feeling unwelcome. I have felt this plenty growing up as a POC in a predominantly white area, so that was a big trigger for me. Despite how things have been portrayed online, there was no scene, no argument, no request to change policy. I politely said thank you & we left. My children and I went to Pelican’s Snowballs for a treat instead.

I did mention our visit in a local forum while asking for other kid-friendly places w/ cats. I noted we had already tried this place so people wouldn’t send me the same recommendation. My post was polite & not inflammatory. I received helpful replies from others.

Things escalated only after the business made a vague but pointed FB post referencing disrespectful guests & animal mistreatment—grouping multiple experiences (including a "bad review"). That post led people directly to my review & began a wave of personal attacks, assumptions, and insults—particularly around my supposed "entitlement."

To those using that word: I grew up in a trailer with holes in it. My life has been full of "no’s,". I’ve never been called entitled—until now. This is a deeply personal and painful response to an honest experience.

I contacted the business privately & respectfully, asking them to update their post to make clear they do not condone harassment. Instead, they edited the post to thank supporters for "having their back" and claimed the post was not directed at one person or review. But the pattern and timing are obvious.

To anyone continuing to contact me with harassment or personal attacks through private messages or social media: this is my final warning. If it continues, I will be seeking legal counsel.

The limitations on access for kids under 6 is pretty ridiculous. Was told about this place by a friend but unaware we had to make appointments. We came in, and they had availability online for 3 pm (we arrived at 2:30 with 2 VERY hopeful kids aged 4 and 8) and told there are no exceptions. So thanks for the let down & meltdown. Wasted gas driving 30minutes to get here playing in the heat and were very hopeful to have a drink to cooldown but not wanting to...

Having lost our senior kitty to cancer several months ago, I've been looking forward to a cat cafe opening in Fuquay. Right Meow Cat Cafe met and exceeded my expectations! The check in process was smooth since I arrived early, showed my recept for my reservation, and wore socks per the instructions. After ordering a delicious taro boba tea, I entered the cat room and took off my shoes.

I was happy to see several of the kitties come trotting towards me. Mario kitten was the most attentive to me, curling up in my lap for a while even. That made my day! The kittens had fun playing with each other or with the cool new toys scattered about, and also interacting with the people in the room. I liked that the cats had options to get away to themselves if they wanted to in soft kitty beds or towers or in the back room.

The fact that the cafe is working with Facilitate Rescue is especially important so that more kitties will eventually find a home. Looking forward to my next visit, and I highly recommend this place!

• UPDATE: After going to Right Meow Cat Cafe for over a year now and adopting from there last year, I wanted to reiterate my complete support for their mission, the contributions they are making to the community, and how they are changing lives for the better.

Anyone who works for the benefit of animals and improving their wellbeing does it from the heart because they deeply care. It's not just a job. The owners and staff at Right Meow give of themselves daily to love on and support the animals in their care. The cats are well-taken care of and can choose to hang out in the back room, in a variety of sleeping spots, or to play with guests or other cats in the cat therapy rooms.

The other part of Right Meow is the cat-themed cafe. From the moment you step into the cafe and the cat area, you are met with cheerful colors and cat-related pictures and merch. In the cafe you can enjoy a variety of drinks - coffees, lemonades or other teas w/ or w/out boba (tapioca balls), or now even frappes. They sometimes have locally made cat face cake-pops in different flavors too. The family and staff who work there greet folks when they enter the cafe and help you with drink options if you aren't sure what you want or have questions.

Some of the people I have met through Right Meow have become good friends and friendly acquaintances. Even when I'm sad or not having a good day, going there is my happy place and cheers me up or comforts me. I'm so thankful for their presence in the community and what they are doing to find homes for cats and cats for homes. They are changing lives for cats...

While the drinks (especially the extremely tart lemonade, which is exactly how I like it!) are great, the real draw for me is the clowder of cats! The Right Meow owners and staff are providing a great service to our community by offering a group of homeless cats an opportunity for life and love; as of the time of this posting, Right Meow has see at least 30 cats adopted in less than four months of operation! And if you want a way to de-stress or take a good 10 points off of your blood pressure, having a Right Meow cat crawl into your lap can't be beat! Come to Right Meow and get some cat therapy -- you will be glad that you did!

Update nine months later: As of this update, Right Meow has 140+ cats adopted in about 13 months of operation, including the three which we adopted late last year. All of the Right Meow staff are very professional and courteous, but even more important they are tremendous cat lovers! Many of the cats and kittens which find their way to Right Meow have come from stressful and/or traumatized backgrounds, and Right Meow is dedicated to helping these animals heal from their pasts (I especially think of an orange bob-tail cat who, through the love and tender care of Right Meow over many months, was able to come out of her shell and show just how sweet and precious she is, and ended up getting adopted). Our three cats were very much loved by the Right Meow staff, and this showed both during their time at the cafe and once we brought them home.

Right Meow has added many new drinks to their menu over the past couple of months, and I can highly recommend the Athelstan if you like the taste of a strawberry milkshake! My wife especially likes the matcha and boba drinks, as well as the various coffee offerings.

Very highly recommended by us who have visited Right Meow regularly since the day they opened in July 2023! Great drinks and...