Cat & Craft — Restaurant in Vista

The first time we visited Cat & Craft Cafe, we fell in love. What better things in the world to combine than kitties and coffee?

First, I'll talk about the cafe part. They make excellent espresso based drinks (my personal favorite is their dirty chai latte - which is absolutely fantastic. It's quite a bit less sweet than most places, which makes it way more enjoyable!) and they also have various other things like juices and kombucha (my wife's favorite!) In addition, they always have an assortment of baked goods available, all of which are really delicious. My personal favorite has got to be the lavender blueberry tart. My wife's favorite is their fruit toast plate with mascarpone. Wow!

Okay, now for the even better part - the cat lounge. We've been going to C&C for quite a while, and getting a chance to play with the cats is the best part. I personally love that these cats get a chance to make new friends with both people and other cats, rather than being stuck in a cage in a pet store somewhere. I love seeing new kitties come in and getting to meet them, and also I love even more seeing kitties I met and fell in love with getting to be adopted and going to their forever homes. I'm always sad to see them go, but so happy and excited for them at the same time!

At one point, we met a kitty we loved instantly the moment we set eyes on him. He was new to C&C and hadn't spent much time there yet. We saw the way he was playing with the other kitties, and we knew we had to have him. His name was Space Bear, which is just about the coolest cat name of all time. We submitted the application right there and then, and we had him at home not too long after. Adoption #66! He has since bonded with our other male cat, Ziggy, and they're now best friends. They eat together, sleep together, play together and even clean each other. It's absolutely adorable watching these two. Seriously. He's also the only cat we've ever adopted that we kept his name. Again, too awesome!

I loved the cat lounge so much that I went ahead and got their Cat Pass, which lets me come in any time on weekdays and spend as much time as I want in the lounge. I often bring my laptop and work while sitting on one of the couches in the lounge watching the kitties playing and trying my hardest to get work done while they try to sit on my keyboard! (Hey, I'm not complaining!) The pass includes two free entries into the lounge that can be redeemed at any time to either bring my wife in with me, or to be used on weekends. When you consider that perk, plus the fact that I get 10% off food, drinks, and merchandise, the Cat Pass easily becomes a no-brainer.

I love going to Cat & Craft whenever I'm able, and the folks there have become great friends. From the owners Caroline and Andrew, to the amazing baristas, to the awesome folks in the cat lounge, they are all wonderful and all make the experience even brighter.

Of course, I also can't say enough good things about the real stars of the show: the kitties! We've seen some incredible cats come and go, but I want to give a special shout out to some of the ones I personally look most forward to seeing every time I visit. Summer, who is a dilute torty that was a recent kitty momma when she first got there. Very thin and frail originally, but now she's filled out and is such a sweetheart. And of course there's Autumn. She's an older kitty who is mostly blind, but she's SO sweet. Every time we are there we make it a point to make sure we go back and give her pets and scratches. She tends to hang out in the back, so make sure you go say hello! We love her so much. And of course there's Gracie. She's the absolute prettiest cat we've ever seen. She has this amazing black eyeliner that makes her look like cleopatra! She's a bit shy, but she loves to play once you get her to warm up to you. I hope they all find forever homes soon!

So that's my review of the Cat & Craft, an absolute jewel in San Diego county. Make a reservation and visit these kitties, and maybe you'll fall in love with one...

My husband and I were out in the Vista area over the weekend and saw Cat & Craft as we were driving by. Of course coffee and cat's I had to stop and check it out. There was an event going on Saturday through Rescue House so they had some kitties up for adoption and a little shop set up out front to raise funds for the cats.

My husband and I were able to sign up for the 3PM cat sit. While we waited we had a coffee and did a little shopping. I got a coconut cold brew, it was good but way too sweet (it was a little better once I got home and added some milk). They also have a great variety of baked goods and foods to snack on as you wait. They have a few toasts that looked tasty and even a sampler for $15 which looked like an amazing deal.

The café and cat sit are separated by a few doors (there is a small room in-between to ensure the kitties do not get out). Once 3PM hit we got in line and walked in to the cat room in small groups (there was about 10 people total for each time group). Since it was an event some of the kittens were in large cages (which you could sit in and interact with them) and some other older cats were free to lounge around the rather large room as they pleased. It is a great way to sit, relax and play with the cats and very therapeutic. Anyone can go into the café to grab a drink or bite to eat. Cost was $17 per person to enter the cat arena and all proceeds go towards taking care of the cats.

All cats were up for adoption and adoption forms were there to fill out and plenty of volunteers to help answer questions. Both volunteers and staff were very friendly and helpful. Overall it was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. We will be...

You cannot pick up the cats. There's a room for cats to go to where patrons cannot- great in theory but when patrons are trying hard to get the attention of the few cats in the room and so many have sought refuge, what is the point of us paying? We love cats but cats can climb... people that come to these places come because of their love. This place made me feel like they expected us to hurt the cats. I really didn't enjoy this experience and my 10 year old was even more annoyed. We travel a great deal and have been to several of these places. They ALL protect their cats but all the other places rules made a great deal more sense. I mean truly- the cats we were interacting with were few and not in the mood to play just to run away. There were three attendants in the very small room... it makes me wonder what horrible things their patrons have done to make these rules so stringent that cat owners and lovers are not able to pick up and hold a cat....I'm glad others enjoyed it--- they would be blown away at the other cat cafes we have attended... a couple had rules that only adults could pick up cats and then a child could hold the car after being placed by the adult-- makes so much more sense....

Anyway--- i shall stop Now. I waited a few days to write the review and i guess I am still as annoyed as I was then.

My child and friend both disliked...