My boyfriend found Seattle Metropolitan one day on Yelp and we decided to check this place out with our friends during our trip to Seattle. We didn't get a chance to visit a cat café during our trip to Japan so we figured that this might do. He said that Meowtroplitan looked bigger and cleaner than the ones he's seen in videos.
For you to have any playing time with the cats, reservations are required. It is $10 per person for 50 minutes of playtime with a drink included.
When you arrive, be sure to check in with the cashier. Once you have checked in, they'll start getting your drinks ready, and then you'll pay.
I opted for a hot tea, my boyfriend got a hot chocolate, my friend got an Italian soda, and last of our party got a chai tea. The hot chocolate had a little cat drawing on the top but the cutest was the chai tea. It had foam on the top and they used a stencil to drop some powder on the top to make a cute cat drawing. I don't know about the hot chocolate or chai tea but I did not like my hot tea and the Italian soda did not taste good.
They also have cat themed pastries/desserts as well. When we went, they actually had a cat marshmallow box set full of cat shaped marshmallows but they were pretty pricy.
They only allow about 15 people to go in the cat area during one reservation. They have .. maybe 8 cats or so? Can't really be sure cause they are free to roam between the human room and the back room. We went at 2PM and some of the cats were pretty tired looking already. One of them actually slept the whole time we were there. They have a few rules while you're in there: don't pick them up, don't make sudden movements/noises, etc. There are cats there that are there to stay and then there are cats there that are up for adoption. I suppose this can be like a foster home for cats?
A good portion of the cats did a great job at ignoring people until we trailed a toy in front of them. Then there was this one cat that absolutely hated everyone except for it's care taker. It actually bit my friend and it swiped its paw at me.
All the cats were adorable and cute. I just wished that some of them were friendlier with people. None of them seem too excited with so many humans around. I'm not sure if that's because they were already pooped/tired or they're just cats. I mean, in general, cats aren't really excited to see any human. But if that's the case, I'm not sure if a cat café is the perfect place for them to be at.
There was one cat that followed one of us back to the table, kneaded our jackets, and then promptly fell asleep next to us. She was adorable. She was also the cat that was determined to escape as well. She was at the door a good portion of the time and sneaked out when the door opened.
They have a good amount of air filters in the room as well, which is fantastic. I'm not allergic to cats specifically (I think) but being in a room with so many of them may cause my allergies to act up. In fact, my sinuses did act up for a little bit while I was in the room but it was definitely not as bad as it could be.
Aside from the "AWWW" factor at seeing cats, there really isn't much that would keep me coming back to this establishment. And the "AWWW" factor can only last so long. In fact, I think one visit is enough -- for me anyways.
It's a great place to visit though, especially when there aren't a whole ton of cat cafes out there. This is probably the only one I've heard about in the states. Everyone should go and experience it at least once ... if you aren't allergic. read more