Getting tickets for Meow Parlor is harder than ordering concert tickets. I had to order tickets two months a head and tried a few times the past few months.

Meow Parlor is NYC’s first cat cafe. You pay $4 for every half hour of playing with kitties. They are adorable shelter kitties (they work with Kitty Kind) available for adoption. When my friend and I got there, the kitties were a little tired from a whole day of stimulation. It was nice to sit, chat and pet them.

After Jebus passed away I realized I wasn’t going to be able to go pet free. I really like having furry friends around. Animals are also meditative for me. They also provide me with the solace of nature without having to leave the city. When I’m around them it’s the one time of day I can take down my guard. I really get stressed out without that release.

Ah, it felt good to be around animals again.

Lucky for me, my friend Kirsten is also a cat lady. We always joke we’re crazy cat ladies and even write meow at the end of our emails to each other. We headed over to Ollie’s Place After.

Ollie’s Place is the cat division of the non profit organization Mighty Mutts. They are a no kill animal group. They are one of my favorite grassroots animal organizations. I always donate food or cash every once an a while to them. They got me out of a jam maybe around 2002 when I found a dog on my way to work. I was working on Mulberry Street in a maternity clothing store about 10 blocks from my place. I found a big stray dog (he came up to my hip) that people kept flinching away from on Grand Street near Mulberry. I wasn’t sure what to do with the dog. I was debating leaving it there or bringing it to work with me. I figured the owners of my company were out of town and my pay checks bounced every once in a while so why give a shit about them and help the little guy.

I called a few no kill shelters but no one was interested in taking in an adult large dog. Then I called my former coworker who did animal rescue and she told me that if no one could take him not to leave him on the street. The most humane thing to do is call the CACC to pick him up. They are Animal Care and Control of NYC and they euthanize animals (to be fair they are the only shelter that cannot turn away any animals and they deal with a lot) I was freaked out, didn’t want that to happen to him. I bought him roast beef and Iams canned food thinking it was going to be his last meal but then I got a call back from Mighty Mutts.

Mighty Mutts asked if I could hold on to the dog for a night but i couldn’t I had 15 cats living with me in a no pets building at the time. After some back and forth they pulled through. They found a vet on the Upper West Side that was able to take the guy in. I know they found that dog a good home. They have really strict adoption requirements. Till this day, they are my charity of choice.

Nova

A sassy kitty.

She’s fun to play with.

I really enjoy going to play with the kitties at Ollie’s Place. i personally think these cats need more attention than Meow Parlor. They don’t get as many visitors and the kitties always welcomes attention or to be played with.

You don’t have to pay to play with these kitties but don’t forget to leave a donation in the donation box by the door. It’s an all volunteer run organization.