Nestled within the small town of Lenoir, NC lies one of the first cat cafes in Western North Carolina. The ambience screams cozy café with the appearance of feline friends and the smells of coffee. Brews and Mews cat café opened in 2022 and has since been welcoming guests into their homely abode. I didn’t really know what to expect when I walked in, but I was welcomed by warmth and the radiation of feline fun. The cat café operates as a café with a separate room filled with kittens and cats to snuggle and love on. Customers can visit just for the café which includes beverages and pastries. I am a huge fan of boba tea and one of the beverages that caught my eye was the “Noodle”. The Noodle is a strawberry and crème milk tea, and customers have a choice of adding popping pearls or tapioca pearls. I personally love tapioca pearls and the combination with the strawberries and crème tea was delicious.
After ordering my beverage, I was able to go into the kitten room due to the reservation my friend, Zee, and their two aunts and I got ahead of time. Zee is hoping to one day open their own cat café so visiting various cat cafes gives them insight into the common features each one holds. We all were super excited to visit another cat café, this was my second one that I had ever been to. To visit with the cats, the cost of a reservation for one hour was $12 each.
Entering the cat room, I was welcomed by all the cute cats from their small meows and their prancing bodies running up to rub on everyone’s legs. The presence of kittens truly brings comfort and ease to those who may be going through a rough time. One cat in particular named, Moo, whose fur was very similar to a cow was super sweet. He ran around the room playing with toys as well as constantly drinking from the small water fountain. Another cat who was a force to be reckoned with was Snips, she was the smallest kitten I have ever seen. Her left leg was encased with plaster as she had hurt her leg jumping from a high place. She didn’t let that stop her and continued to run around playing with any toys she could get her paws on.
The way cat cafés typically work is that the cats can be adopted! A few of them were donated from the local animal shelter and their adoption fees are waived because of this. Having a waived fee ensures the adoption of cats or kittens who may have not had the opportunity while in the shelter. Cats are not only animals, but they soon become a part of your family. The presence of cats or any pet is sure to bring warmth and happiness to those who truly need it. Cats bring comfort to those who need someone to listen even though cats can’t talk unfortunately. But cats are healers of the soul and being able to love on them while enjoying a delicious beverage captures that.
