Since Grand Avenue’s new cat cafe opened its doors to the public on Jan. 1, local cat enthusiasts and college students deprived of kitty time have been clawing for reservations. As two members of The Mac Weekly, both allergic to cats, we know that fellow cat lovers who suffer the same misfortune need our journalistic perspective on Catzen Coffee.
Catzen Coffee sets itself apart from other cat cafes through the cat-centric approach it takes to business. Its feline inhabitants, rather than being up for adoption, live in the cafe full-time. This model aims to familiarize the cats with each other and with having human visitors in order to create a better experience for the cats and customers alike. In addition, kitty doors allow the cats to exit and enter the living room, where customers gather, as they pleased.
Ella had taken her CVS-brand Allegra before our visit and forgotten her Flonase. Cal was more prepared, bringing along their fancy Zyrtec, CVS-brand Flonase and eye drops. They neglected to take their eye drops, but they graciously shared Zyrtec with Ella.
We made these preparations knowing the temperament of our own allergies.
Ella felt fairly confident in her ability to survive the cat cafe sneezing for nary more than a day; she has one cat at home and is largely unaffected by allergies when she remembers to take her allergy medicine. It helps that her cat does not like her very much and never allows Ella to hold her.
Cal, who once begged their mother for a cat while beleaguered by eyes nearly swollen shut, has seldom interacted with cats but absolutely loves them. They typically suffer a runny nose and excessive sneezing when hanging out with cats, and deteriorate to a state of constantly rubbing their eyes when they begin petting feline friends.
In a shocking turn of events, both of us discovered our medicine shields provided sufficient protection from the furball fury of allergens we expected to encounter.
Upon entering Catzen, customers with reservations purchase a drink or pastry from the cafe’s selection before entering the living room for their reserved time with the cats. Reservations last 45 minutes, with some time between slots for cleaning and reorganizing the living room. For the most devout dog lovers, Catzen allows customers to enjoy their drinks in a seating area separated from the cats, or in the living room.
Ella is lactose intolerant and sensitive to caffeine in addition to having cat allergies (you can laugh at her), so she ordered her latte decaf with oat milk. She appreciated Catzen’s free non-dairy milk, something she believes all coffee shops should offer. Most coffee shops also do not meet Catzen’s art standards; both Ella’s and Cal’s drinks sported heart-shaped designs.
Cal chose the cafe’s name-brand drink: the Catzen, a latte with orange drizzle and a delightful dried orange garnish. As a firm believer in the inferiority of coffee options in Mac Groveland compared with their home in metro Detroit, Cal was pleasantly surprised by Catzen. While Catzen doesn’t quite compare to their favorite places, its lack of burnt coffee places Catzen into a tier above most coffee shops within walking distance from campus. Although the foam could be more frothy for a perfect first sip, they were claw-struck by the perfect balance of flavor.
In addition to our drinks, we got a free bag of Cracker Jacks as we had the good fortune to make our reservation on the day of the Twins’ home opener.
Soon after we began to sip our drinks and snack on our jacks, our reservation time began. We entered the living room, whose delightful blues and warm tones, jazz music at the perfect background volume and plethora of cushions for cats and humans alike created a relaxing and welcoming atmosphere. This was undermined only by the logistical difficulty of petting a variety of cats and drinking coffee while seated low to the ground.
Many of the cafe’s cats were in the living room during our reservation. Ella spent the most time with Leeroy Jenkins!, whose snoozing demeanor was a lot calmer than the exclamation point in his name may suggest. This orange feline was perched on a couch next to Ella for the duration of her time in the living room, a welcome occurrence given that the other cats were a distance away and the other customers were not moving from cat to cat very much. In addition, Leeroy Jenkins!’ napping nature presented a sharp contrast to two of his companions, who launched into a play-fight towards the end of our reservation time.
One of these cats was Big Cup O’ Joe, or Big Joe for short. This massive, snowy white and gray Maine Coon proved too big for Cal to handle, and though they had ample opportunities to pet him, they never reached over to try to befriend Big Joe. Fortunately for Cal, Catzen’s largest resident, Babybel Mozarella Bartholomeow, was elsewhere during their visit.
Having only lived in a dog household, Cal was unsure of how to approach the kitties wandering about. They spent the majority of their time watching cats duck in and out of playfully decorated cat condos. Towards the end of their visit, they met Tim the Enchanter, who completely melted Cal’s heart with his gray fur and frosted tips, a trademark of the Lykoi breed.
Our time visiting the residents of Catzen Coffee was augmented by the love for these cats from other patrons as well as staff. Not only did we receive a paper enumerating rules for the living room and cats’ individual preferences, but employees were very upfront about each cat’s temperament before we entered the living room.
From the pleasantly surprising coffee to the welcoming and cat-friendly atmosphere, from the delightful cats to our incredible lack of allergies, Catzen Coffee sure sent us into a feline frenzy. We deem Catzen Coffee not only safe for our allergic comrades, but a very worthwhile destination.
