Cups and Claws Cat Cafe and Lounge — Restaurant in Newport News

I want to start by saying that the staff at Cups and Claws were wonderful to us and treated us very well. This review is not about the staff’s kindness but rather a concern I had with the adoption process.

When we adopted a cat from the café, we were told she might have a “kitty cold,” which they explained could spread to our other cats. We already had two cats at home, and after spending a lot of money and making multiple vet visits, we discovered that this “kitty cold” was actually feline herpesvirus (FHV-1).

Because of this, all three of our cats needed multiple medications twice a day for almost a month. If you’ve ever had to give pills to cats, you know how challenging that is. While FHV-1 is not deadly, it never goes away, and cats who contract it will live with flare-ups for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, the cat we adopted passed the virus on to our other two cats.

I later learned that there is a vaccine (the FVRCP shot) that can help protect cats against FHV-1. While it doesn’t always prevent infection completely, it can greatly reduce the risk and make symptoms less severe. Knowing this, I was frustrated that my adopted cat hadn’t received it before coming home, as it might have lessened what happened with my other cats.

To be clear, our adopted cat is now doing very well and has been with us for nearly a year. However, I don’t think it’s accurate to call FHV-1 a simple “kitty cold.” It is much more serious than that. I also feel this situation could have been handled differently, especially since the cat we adopted was around 6 months old and had already been at the café for 2–3 months.

EDIT: I still appreciate the café and the work they do, but I want potential adopters to be fully informed about the risks and realities of FHV-1 so they can make the best decision for their pets at home. My main concern isn’t about the vaccines or the paperwork itself — it’s the timing and clarity of the information provided to adopters. While the paperwork may have stated that most cats carry FHV-1, the information wasn’t fully discussed before we paid and finalized the adoption. It was discussed as a “kitty cold”. At the time, we were verbally told the cat “might get a kitty cold,” which is very different from being explicitly told she had feline herpesvirus, a lifelong condition that could/did spread to our other cats. Personally, I feel that word should not be used as humans can get over colds, cats—can not.

My point is not to blame the café or the foster group, but to highlight that adopters benefit from clear, upfront communication about contagious conditions before adoption. This could help prevent similar situations...

Not worth the admission. Go to the movies instead. The smell was overwhelming and the “cafe” aspect leaves a lot to be desired. When we first walked in to the gift shop/cafe area, the smell was bad, but hey, there’s lots of cats. But back in the actual interactive are, it was truly overwhelming. We couldn’t stay much longer than 10 minutes without needing fresh air.

Maybe focusing on less cats (very few were interacting anyway) and more on boosting the cafe aspect would help. $35 for two people was not worth it (especially with how short our visit was) but hope it helped these cats somehow.

EDITED TO ADD THE FOLLOWING after receiving owner response: Wow. I guess my opinion triggered something if the owner went and read my past reviews… I love praising good interactions, but when I have a bad experience, I’m also happy to share it so others may make an informed decision on whether to patronize an establishment. Aside from our interaction paying the cashier at the entrance, there was nothing distinguishing staff from patrons. There was a woman on a laptop when we first walked in who maybe worked there? But when we left, she was not there and neither was the cashier in the front. Had there been a cashier, I would have mentioned why our visit was so short. Perhaps you are all “scent blind” — I get it, I have horses and that barn smell doesn’t affect me like it does my husband. But the overwhelming smell of ammonia and litter is distinct and not pleasant. I was a little skeptical when she said there were 30-40 cats… I should have known what that would smell like! I’m not sure hourly cleaning will take care of that… all it takes is one unfound accident to create a chain reaction. I would be welcoming smells from the vape shop next door. Also, $35 is not a “tiny” contribution… to some people that is a week’s worth of groceries!! Wow, just wow… please see the photo of the owner’s...

The most amazing experience EVER!!

My boyfriend, our friend, and I visited the Cafe a week ago because we were recommended visiting by friends. We stayed for around 2 hours, and had an amazing experience. The staff was so friendly, and the kitties were all so cute I wanted them all! But my boyfriend and I fell in love with a kitty named “Oxford” and knew we wanted to get him.

We filed the applications & did the process, but we were having a little trouble with the rescue the kitty was from, which is no biggie. We visited the cafe because we had to get another kitty along with Oxford, and Kim was AMAZING. She helped us through the application and the errors we were experiencing, gave us care guides, the food they eat, anything you could possibly need. The other staff there was also so so kind and helpful.

Anyways, we finally got approved & there was still a little error, but Kim kindly contacted me, helped us out, and made room for us to get the kitties asap. I’m writing this as i’m cuddling with our new babies Oxford and Speck!! I couldn’t have been more grateful for Kim, the other staff, and the overall love and attentiveness to the kitties and customers. I rarely ever write google reviews, but this is an experience i’ll never forget. I HIGHLY recommend Cups and Claws, and a special thank you to KIM!! Thank you guys so much!!

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