I’ve always been a dog lover so when I was presented with the opportunity to check out Paws the Cat Cafe, it felt like a step out of my comfort zone. Luckily, the lovely staff and cats at Paws the Cat Cafe were awesome and made my first experience at a cat cafe great!
DISCLAIMER: I was invited to Paws the Cat Cafe as a blogger and received complimentary food and drinks. However, all thoughts and opinions are unbiased and my own.
Paws the Cat Cafe is a locally owned shop on the corner of 109 St and 106 Ave. Working alongside the Edmonton Humane Society, owners Mike and Nicole have done amazing work in terms of rescuing and adopting cats. Since my visit, they have now had a total of 72 adoptions!
The space consists of a cafe storefront and a cat lounge in the back. Their cat lounge can be home to 12 adoptable cats at a time. It’s very clean, spacious, and includes a big castle-like structure, which I thought was pretty cool. As my friend and I came mid-afternoon, it was not too busy. As the afternoon went on, more people came and it started to feel more packed in the cat lounge. If you’re planning to visit, a good idea is to book a reservation on their site to ensure that you have a spot – although walk-ins are also accepted.
Time spent at the cat cafe is covered with a fee. For instance, 30 minutes at the cat cafe is $8 and one hour at the cat cafe is $12.50 – this price includes your time in the cat lounge as well as a regular drink. Reasonable and affordable pricing, in my opinion. Drink options include a variety of coffees, teas, lattes, and even Italian sodas – all cafe necessities! Alongside drinks, there is also a selection of locally sourced baked goods. Depending on when you go, there may be different flavours and varieties. Below was what was available during my visit.
Nicole and Mike were kind enough to let me sample multiple things. As a foodie, I was ecstatic to try all the baked goods. I tried macarons ($3) from Whipped Up Baked Goods (Instagram here), sugar cookies ($4) from Milk and Cookies Bake Shop (Instgram here), stroopwafels ($2) from Yumm YEG (Instagram here), and brownies ($2.50) from Badass Brownies. I have a pretty serious sweet tooth so I might be a little biased in saying that all of these were tasty. Although, some did stand out a little more than others.
The brownies were my absolute favourite! They were rich, flavorful, and a true chocolate lover’s dream. Nicole worked with Badass Brownies to create the delicious brownie flavours herself. There were three options: mocha java (espresso, coffee, coffee crisps and maltesers), easter (mini eggs and cream eggs), and sweet and salty (pretzels, walnuts, and salted caramel). All combinations were so good, it’s hard to single out one particular favourite for me. If you’re unsure of what to get at the cafe, I highly recommend the brownies to start.
Stroopwafles from Yumm YEG were also a nice treat and I was really impressed by how the macarons and sugar cookies were cat-shaped! They were almost too cute to eat. I thought it really demonstrated the talent of these local vendors and I would definitely consider ordering my own batches of baked goods the next time a special event rolls around.
We also tried Italian Soda ($2) and a Chai Tea Latte ($4). Both drinks tasted standard, nothing that blew me out of the water. Notably, though, they do offer dairy substitutes which is always appreciated.
The cats themselves were very chill and it was a much more relaxed environment than I was expecting. It was actually pretty calming! Most cats were cozied up in their own spot. I managed to find a few furry friends that liked to be pet and it was so cute to see them cuddle up next to me. Cailyn, the attendant in the cat lounge, was very friendly and knowledgeable about the cats. It was great to see her working with the animals, they seemed to love her.
All in all, my first time at a cat cafe was really good. I felt very welcome by the staff and the experience was memorable since it was my first time at a cat cafe. I believe the first impression starts when you walk into the cafe and order your food/drinks – and, well, I can confirm that Nicole gave me a very impressionable start. I also particularly love that while you’re supporting one local business, namely Paws the Cat Cafe, you’re also supporting other local businesses with the purchase of baked goods.
Whether you’re a cat lover looking to spend some time with cats or just simply a cafe explorer, Paws the Cat Cafe is a great spot to check out in the area.
A sincere thank you to Mike and Nicole for having me!
Paws the Cat Cafe
10588 109 St, Edmonton
Eat with Sharon 
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