Happy Cat Cafe — Restaurant in Grand Rapids

UPDATE 4/2/21: In response to your reply, Kati, the complain was thrown out because you had already removed ALL the cats and there were no cats at your location at the time. I don't need a complementary visit, and I already asked you not to contact me again several times via email and text, so no, I will not be emailing you either. Your psychotic messages and threats to me from MONTHS ago are plenty more than enough for me.

A former volunteer of this cat cafe reached out for help with some kittens after a kitten died at the cafe, and the owner refused to take them to the vet... the volunteer found them help but unfortunately two more passed as well. After asking questions regarding a fundraiser that was presented as being for vet bills, all of my comments were deleted and I was banned from the fb page. Shortly after, I was left a threatening voicemail message from Kati, the owner, because for some reason she is obsessed with saying that the cat cafe in Kalamazoo is her 'competition' and that I am 'out to get her' and shut down the cat cafe in GR, which is absolutely untrue.

I've said it before and I"ll say it again, I will NEVER not speak for those who do not have a voice, including the three kittens who died under her care - the health and well being of cats at ANY cafe, rescue, someone's house, whatever... I will do my due diligence if I believe they are not being cared for appropriately. We got into a text conversation and she admitted that she didn't know the kittens were even there in the first place, and that she did indeed refuse to take them to the vet. I was told 'make a complaint to MDARD (MI Dept of Agriculture) if you're so concerned' so I did. The complaint led nowhere because the cats were all removed from the cafe by that time because there was also an outbreak of ringworm. She repeatedly told me (via text) that she would sell the cafe, turn it into a restaurant, repeatedly asked me if I would buy it, and that she wouldn't be 'doing the cat thing' anymore... now come to find out they are planning on reopening in December...

I genuinely hope that there are now appropriate protocols in place and that the health and well being of the cats at this cafe are taken more seriously if this is the case. Despite what she may think, and repeatedly tell people in order to play the victim, animal welfare organizations do not have 'competition' and I wish all the success to the kitties at this cafe, but I cannot standby without making my concerns known, and if the owner will not listen to/cooperate with rescue partners, not allow anyone to ask questions on a public social media platform, threaten other business owners, and lie over and over again while offering to sell it all... I cannot support their continued operation.

Overall - the health and safety of the actual animals at this 'cafe' is clearly not the priority, and the owner is exceptionally unprofessional. Assuming she will just continue to say that I'm trying to 'ruin' her business (not true), and tell people that we think we're in a competition (not true), again, I will say one more final time that the health and well being of the actual live animals at an establishment that houses animals should be the priority... and when it isn't, helpless...

Everything cats and also some coffee.

IMPORTANT: Entrance is in the back (west side of the building).

Cotton Kitty - $6.50: A VERY flavor-filled juice and pop mixed beverage. The cotton candy taste is not too dominant, but is a great balance. The lemon and Sprite is a bit more of a nuance. It has a bit of a kick with something, but I could not place it. My daughter was super thrilled with the sparkles (I did not get a picture, sorry).

They do serve hot chocolate and white chocolate mocha. They have other drinks including Red Bull, Izze, Mott’s apple juice, Faygo, Moon Mist, Sprite, Coca-Cola, Diet, bottled water, and more. They also have nuts, chocolate candies, chips, muffins, edible straws, candy, soup, and more. Looks like they’ve expanded a lot of their stock over their existence.

There are tables and chairs to sit at in the cafe as well as in the cat room.

Service: Super friendly and cheerful. Answered all our questions.

Atmosphere: Everything cats! What do you expect? They have cat gear including collars, dishes, catnip, medicines, health, toys, collar bandanas, carriers, tents/caves, and so much more. They also have books, games, stuffed animals, mugs, keychains, towels, socks, birthday cards, shirts,bags, stickers, and anything they can find with cats. You’ll find common cat themes like Hello Kitty as well. There is plenty of cat artwork, too.

The cafe and shop is open anytime without reservation, but the cat room is by reservation only, though if they are not busy, they can still get you in. The cat room is separate from the cafe and shop. You enter through a small staging room (you are supposed to use hand sanitizer here before and after). A lot of people were bringing their drinks into the room.

We did not enter, but watched through the big picture window. The cats seemed to be overly stimulated and not interested in playing much when we were there, but there were a LOT of people trying to interact with them. None of them seemed grumpy or aggressive, though. Just lazy. Again, weekdays will probably be best.

They have helped facilitate the adoption of almost a thousand cats (937 according to the bead jar pictured). We saw between five and seven cats when looking in. I’m guessing there are probably more hiding, though.

Also, follow the posted rules. This includes being sanitary, keep kids supervised, only pick up cats when seated (and stay seated), avoid sudden movements and noises, read body language of cats, don’t reach into tunnels (they can bite), no human food/drinks for cats, only staff can access storage, etc.

Conclusion: It’s a total cat place. If that is your thing, you will dig this place hook, line, and sinker for sure.

If you are interested in adopting, visit on a weekday. If you come on a weekend, expect to make a reservation.

Visited on a...

Overall good experience but feels league behind other Cat Cafes I visited.

In short, definitely overpriced.

THE GOOD: The staff was very friendly, drinks were delicious and amazing and the cats were clean, adorable and appeared to be treated with respect by the people working there. The room with the cats smelled clean and there was not a strong liter odor. Little baby Mukey was adorable, super playfull and most cats seemed used to be around humans.

THE LESS GOOD: The cat room is very small. Too small. It's uncomfortable and the furniture is cheap, rigid and not comfortable at all. No couch. 1 single table with 2 picnic chairs. The floors were sticky. The room was over crowded. They allowed over 10 guests in a room that should fit at most 3 or 4. It made the experience unfun and we wanted out of that room quickly. We tried calling 3 times during the day to make a reservation and no one ever picked up the phone. The cat room takes less than 25% of the whole store, making it seem like an afterthought. The vast majority of the space is dedicated to stuff for sale.

There is also a cover fee to enter that room, which is a first for me (I visited over 10 cat cafes in the latest years and I never saw that before). Other places let you in in exchange for buying a drink (of course) or a snack.

13$ / guest + around 7$ / drink makes it for a total of 100$ for a family of 5... Wayyy over priced.

I would suggest the owner to go visit other similar cafes to dee how they do it. It was probably the most disappointing Cat Cafe I visited in years.

With a cheap room that small, keep it to 2-3 guests at the time. There is so much wasted space in this store, lots of potential to make it amazing.

Under the current conditions, I would not return.

So either improve the room or slash the crazy pretencious prices by a lot.

Whoever was working last Monday were professional, welcoming and helpful. The staff is not the issue at all. They are doing their best with...