Cafe Meow, the region's first cat cafe, is expanding to New Hope. If construction moves swiftly, its second location, inside the Winnetka Commons strip mall, could open as early as May.
Minneapolis' only cat cafe is bringing kitty cuddles to New Hope
Uptown's unique cat rescue/coffee shop will open a second, larger location.
December 29, 2021 at 10:51PM
![Thea the cat slept high on a perch out of reach of The Cafe Meow. ] ANTHONY SOUFFLE • anthony.souffle@startribune.com The Cafe Meow, a coffee shop that allows customers with reservations to mingle with adoptable cats held their grand opening Friday, Feb. 16, 2018 in Minneapolis. Unlike their counterparts in Europe and Japan The Café Meow cats are in a separate room from the café because of local codes and regulations. Customers can reserve time slots of a half hour through the café's website.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/RGLMQCOD7GDPQLDHOZJUC47YGY.jpg?&w=712)
The news comes as the cafe (2323 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls. thecafemeow.com) and its neighbors are contending with plans from the city to remake Hennepin Avenue, creating potential construction noise woes for the cats and removing street parking for visitors, cafe owner Jessica Burge told the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.
The original cafe, which opened in 2018, is set up in two distinct zones. One is a regular coffee shop serving Bootstrap coffee, Northern Lights tea and My Sister's Sweets. Next door, completely separate, is a cat lounge where up to 20 cats are allowed to hang out with the hope of be adopted. (Cats have their own profiles on the cafe's website.) Those looking for a cuddle or to fuzz up their black winter gear can reserve time slots to lounge alongside the purring companions for a nominal hourly fee.
With the second location, the cafe's space will double to 3,500 square feet, allowing for caffeinating and cat cuddling to co-mingle. Cafe Meow currently works with two rescue groups, No Kitten Left Behind and Ruff Start, but could take on more with the increased capacity. More than 400 cats have found homes through the cafe.
