The Cat Lounge

I went here recently and while the cats were very cute, they were not cute enough to make up for the cattyness of some of the staff.
Long story short, the owners messed up my booking and I had to reschedule for a much earlier time on the same day which was really inconvenient. Then a lot of people from my group got sick and had to cancel which is unfortunate, but out of my control of course. However the manager still berated me in front of my friends, for accidentally booking more than I needed. I get that it’s inconvenient for them but it’s not very good customer service. But of course they got to keep the deposit so everyone wins right?
Wrong! Because after I got home I found an email from one of the owners asking me to pay twice more! This is not a part of their T&Cs on their website and it was never explained to me, but apparently asking for a 50% deposit means that they really want a 100% deposit. The email was worded very rudely as well.
All over it was a terrible experience. It would have been fine, but the rude attitude ruined it.
Yes the cats are cute, but don’t judge a café based on the concept, judge it based on the execution. It’s not the only cat café in town.

I really enjoyed this place, friendly staff and good tea. The cats are lovely and the staff make sure the place is very clean. Make sure you do book ahead because it is busy. But money well spent. My only complaint is there isn’t a lot of parking, so if you’re going in a group, carpool. I can’t wait to go back!

Not being a cat fan, I had never come across this café until my wife mentioned it. I was surprised when she said we have to book ahead. We turned up just before our time slot, there were already several people also waiting to go in. You have 60 minutes with the moggies. You can take a cuppa coffee in the actual room with you, it has an area made up like a living room with cats videos being played on a TV screen and a video of a real fire including sound. There is mini profiles of all the residents cats on the walls too.
The cats have a good play area with climbing tree, and little bridges over peoples heads.
Being a nice warm day on our visit, most of the cats were in the outside area sunbathing and sleeping.
We had some hot food afterwards and a coffee, good size portions for the cost. We enjoyed the cat themed Connect 4 and books to kill time before it was our time.
There is a double security doors, and hand sanitiser to use on entry and departure.
If you are a cat lover, it is a great experience, even if your not it’s worth doing something different.
The staff were nice and friendly too, those keen can buy souvenir t shirts too.
Those planning a weekend visit, booking is essential to enter the cat room.

Disclaimer: I am a dog person. (No, not a human/​dog hybrid, I like prefer dogs to cats)
So let’s get real here, while I love the idea of the Cat Lounge, this is an urban petting zoo with a café attached, the café side sells some very delicious (if overpriced) food, but through the double magnetically locked doors is where the cats hang out. The area is feline roamed and the public are very conscious of the cats, the area is very quiet and tastefully decorated.
I especially love the LCD screen fireplace, that appealed to the geek in me.
I would certainly visit for the novelty value, and if you adore cats this is your place to hang out, but I fail to see sustainable value from it. Time will tell.

First heard of this venture on the radio with their Kick starter project and the public support has lead to NZ’s first cat café! How cool. I’ve wanted to go to one of these ever since I first heard of them but Japan was too far!
Teaming up with Friskies and Lonely Miaow, they have a beautiful community of kittens and cats for visitors to play with, cuddle and admire in the lounge which is entirely separate from the café area. ORB coffee and range of sweet and savoury dietary options to nibble on before or after the cat time. You can take it into the cat lounge as well if you’d like.
The lounge is great with lots of areas for you to hang out with the cats and kittens. A neat sunny corner at the front for the cats to lie down and bask in the rays, fun tree house structure with bridges, tunnels and walkways to explore and abundance of toys to try and lure them towards you. The Cat Lounge is for hire as well! How unique and cool.
A must do for cat lovers!