NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — Mew Haven Cat Cafe welcomes students from nearby universities and plenty of other travelers for coffee, a cozy lounge, and some quality time with cats, so long as they’re ready to play along if one of the cafe’s several foster felines occasionally commandeers their seat or keyboard.
“A lot of university students can’t adopt pets and so they can come here to be around animals to help with missing their own pets,” said Angela Pullo, who owns and operates Mew Haven with her husband, Michael.
Although it’s especially popular with students — Southern Connecticut State University is nearby — Pullo made clear that the business welcomes people of all ages.
Cat cafes originated in Taiwan in 1998, but really took off in Japan, Pullo said. The first American cat cafes opened up in 2014 in New York City and Oakland, California. Mew Haven became Connecticut’s first in August 2018.
Each cafe has their own approach to bringing together coffee and cats. At Mew Haven, all the cats are foster animals from Animal Haven shelter in North Haven, and Pullo said part of Mew Haven’s mission is to help the cats connect with permanent homes.
General admission tickets for one hour of cat time cost $12, or a little less for students, seniors, teachers, and children. Customers are encouraged to make a reservation, especially on weekends.
The cafe and cat lounge sides of the business are kept separate for sanitation’s sake. To start a visit, customers check in at the cafe section, where they can also buy a cup of coffee and pre-wrapped cookies, cupcakes with cat-shaped frosting, and other baked goods. They can bring their food into the cat lounge, as long as they don’t share their people food with the cats.
Customers then go outside to a separate entrance to the cat lounge. At a given time, between five and 10 felines will be lounging, poking about, and surveying their territory. Beds and ledges surround the tables and chairs for humans, at least when the cats aren’t reaching for them first.
Most visitors come in for the coffee and a thorough de-stressing. For others, it’s a singles mixer for a possible pet.
“You can’t think of anything else when you’re petting a cat,” Pullo said. “If you’re thinking about work when you’re petting a cat you’re not doing it right. . These cats need to socialize and by seeing them socialize we see how they interact with people and learn about their personalities.
“If someone puts in an application with us, they will talk with Animal Haven afterwards. We act as a foster,” Pullo said.
Potential pet owners who file an application with Mew Haven will talk with the shelter afterward. Pullo said she was proud that the business helped find 50 permanent placements for pets since starting pop-up events in 2017.
Their Twitter feed has the occasional “Where are they Meow?” feature to catch up with the cat cafe’s alumni.
Pullo said her husband first floated the idea for the cafe in 2015. He grew up around Trumbull, and New Haven seemed a prime location, nestled between two metropolitan areas. And at 904 Whalley Ave., Pullo said, the business fit in with the other shops of the city’s Westville neighborhood.
“When we first met we traveled for food,” she said, “and we were always on the hunt for unique restaurants and coffee places. . When cat cafes came up we started tailoring our trips to where cat cafes were found. We loved to see where food, coffee, and cats all came together.”
It took three years of research and plenty of attention to detail to start the business. Local officials ultimately had to create new zoning classifications to fit Mew Haven, which is not quite a kennel, and certainly not just a cafe.
“We worked really hard to ensure we were not frivolously opening this,” Pullo said.
An attendant sits in the cat lounge when they’re in session to tell visitors stories about the cats and help the feline unaffiliated with cat etiquette.
One of their current fosters is a calico named Chloe, who, Pullo said, was the alpha female of the current group. She likes being the center of attention at times, but like all cats has her limits.
“When she’s done being petted she will let people know, and we have to accept that . just like people sometimes are done being hugged,” Pullo said.
Other cats, like a striped yellow 6-month old named Sparky, are a little more eager for playtime and still figuring out how they want to socialize with people and other animals.
And something of the same is true for humans, Pullo said. The cat cafe can be a quiet place for de-stressing, or for other visitors, it’s a way to open up a conversation with someone new.
“We’ve seen situations of people talking about their own cats,” Pullo said. “Like when people come to a party in someone’s home and don’t know the person, but then they learn someone else has a Himalayan who is fluffy but has gotten older and now isn’t always as interested in interacting with people, so it’s great for them to be around kittens for a change.”
As they approach one year of business, Pullo said, they’re looking to add more events, like “Knitting with Kittens” and Cat Yoga — which offers 60 minutes of yoga with cats roaming around plus 30 minutes of designated cat time.
Mew Haven Cat Café is open Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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