Rachael ray helps launch nyc’s first permanent cat cafe

Earlier this year, I visited New York City’s first ever pop-up cat cafe. The venture was a hit to the point where ginormous lines snaked around the block as people went cat crazy to sip coffee in a feline-friendly environment. Now the grand old metropolis can claim its inaugural permanent cat cafe, called Meow Parlour.

Situated on the Lower East Side area of Manhattan, the spot officially opened today (Monday, Dec. 15). Billing itself as a place to enjoy “sweet cats with delicious treats,” patrons can cop cups of coffee while mingling with a range of adoptable kitties sourced from the KittyKind no-kill shelter. There’s also an online reservation system in place to help control the demand (and the request that all visitors remove their shoes, possibly to prevent the kittens from witnessing some heinous footwear faux-pas).

TV chef Rachael Ray also got in on the launch, turning up to pet cats and donate a whopping number of free meals to the first wave of residents with her Nutrish for Cats. The partnership between Ray, the cafe, and KittyKind will also give anyone adopting one of the Meow Parlour kitties with a couple of months supply of free food for the cat, according to a statement from Ray’s publicist. The total donation is 174,000 meals, according to the statement. As for feeding the human patrons, the cafe will sell pastries as well as coffee and tea from a nearby storefront it calls the Meow Parlour Patisserie.

Catster will check out Meow Parlour in person and post additional photos in the near future, but in the meantime enjoy this extra photo of the cats enjoying their bespoke coffee lounge.