Eat, Purr, Love cat cafe provides the purr-fect break from reality

Who doesn’t love cats? If their mere presence sends you into a sneezing, swelling, anaphylactic shock, then I guess you have a reasonable excuses. But if you’re missing your furry-friend from home, or just enjoy your cup of coffee accompanied with a cat, Eat, Purr, Love might be your temporary escape from stress and school.

Just a mile or so north of Lane on Indianola is a quaint coffee shop full of cuddly, furry feline waiting for treats and chin scratches. The cat room’s Instagram-able mood lighting and cozy furniture make it the perfect location to take a break from the hustle and bustle of campus. You know, those long weeks that seem like all your professors got together and planned out the most grueling workload week specifically for you.

When you walk into the cafe the staff will greet you, and if it’s your first time, they will give the general run-down of the place. You sign a waiver before you go into the cat room and then you pay your cover fee. The rates are $10 for an hour in the cat lounge, and if you don’t have an hour, there is also the option to pay $5 for a half an hour of kitty time. The cover fee helps provide food and supplies for taking care of all the cats. To sweeten the deal each guest gets a little Jell-O shot container of cat treats to gift to the cats, because let’s be honest sometimes cats can be stingy with their love unless there is something really good waiting for them in return—kind of like an ex-boyfriend. Although when I was there, the cats were just as fond of the snugs and love as they were receptive of the treats.

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Typically, the café has about 12 cats in house. They all come from Columbus Humane, and all the cats are adoptable to loving, furr-ever homes. It’s probably a good idea to check with your roommates before just showing up at the apartment with a new kitty, but sometimes that’s the risk you take with surprises. Each cat in the café has a little Polaroid picture hung up on a door with their name, age, and sex. And it’s cute as hell. There is also an entire wall of all the past cats they have had in the café that have been adopted, so if you need a feel good moment there are hundreds of reminders there that happy endings do exist for shelter animals. This wall is also cute as hell.

If the cats aren’t enough to tempt you, in order to put the café in Cat Café, Eat, Purr, Love also stocks Pattycake Bakery’s vegan baked goods. I recommend the pumpkin walnut muffin, but it’s also fun to take your non-vegan friends to try a baked good and let them naturally react to how delicious it is and then tell them it’s vegan. On tap they have local coffee, hot chocolate, hot tea, and a selection of cold beverages. They also have board games, and there are no rules against bringing in a good book to read with a cat on your lap. With tables inside and outside of the cat room, you and your friends should be able to find a spot to sit back and relax.

If you’re looking to take on the responsibility of adopting a cat then this place is a great place to start your search for your new furry friend. Even if you aren’t looking to adopt, Eat Purr Love is a relaxing environment for cat-lovers to come and hang out with super friendly cats especially if dorms and strict landlords are getting in the way having a cat of your own. So, if you miss your cat at home. Or your significant other won’t let you have one because of their allergies. Or even if you just need a cuddle break from studying, Eat, Purr, Love is sure to satisfy your inner crazy cat lady.

A few final things to know before you go: the café recommends making a reservation, but walk-ins are welcome if space permits, and the hours are in blocks to allow the cats to have some alone time to recharge and have some peaceful “cat naps.” They are closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Wednesday-Friday they are open from 11am- 2pm and then again from 4pm- 7pm. Saturdays they are open from 10am- 2pm and 4pm- 7pm. They are also open on Sundays from 10am- 2pm. You can find more information at eatpurrlovecatcafe.com.

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