Amazing cats, all very mellow and used to people. The fuzzy Sphinx was SO friendly, she will climb up and sit on your shoulder! read more

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I was visiting Chestertown MD on a "girls weekend". We decided to visit the local (and awesome, BTW) farmer's market held on Saturday mornings in the center of the historic town. We noticed a "cat cafe" and were making kissy noises at the beautiful cat in the window. We saw a sign on a fence gate next to that building "More cats this way". Now, dear friends, this is usually a sign that a serial killer is waiting for us, and it's also a sign that devoted cat ladies don't really care as long as there are more cats to pet. We decided to throw caution to the wind and follow the sign. The gate led to an alleyway, and then to a door at the rear of the building. The door took us upstairs to the most marvelous place - a cat residence. Volunteers/attendants were there. We were invited to sign in and to disinfect our hands, no problem. We then entered the main room, which can only be described as "cat paradise". There were comfy beds, a circular treadmill, a giant indoor sisal-covered "tree" that the cats could climb up into a vaulted space, where ledges and "cages" dangled for the cats to go in and hang out. They looked kind of like bird cages, but the cats could easily climb down from a 'limb' into one of them. There was a large screen TV showing..."cat tv" - birds, squirrels, mice, etc. There were also comfy chairs and sofas for people to rest in. These cats, I believe there were 12 of them, are permanent residents - they are not for adoption. They are all super used to humans and are quite calm and relaxed, deciding if they wanted head scritches or pets or belly rubs or to play with the abundant feather and other toys available, or if they just wanted to nap on your lap or next to you. They are not cats you can adopt, they are instead kind of like 'cat ambassadors', allowing people to relax and hang with them. I spent about 45 minutes in with the cats. One followed me into the small restroom looking for me to turn the sink faucet on so they could have a drink. I, of course, complied. It was marvelous just hanging out with them, getting my cat 'fix' while I was away from home. There is no cost to enjoy time in Cat Paradise, however we could (and did) donate to the local cat rescue. I would happily visit with the cats again the next time I find myself in Chestertown. read more

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