Boredom struck so early in the morning that day that I quickly decided to hop on a bus to Diliman, Quezon City. 45 minutes later I found myself inside the Cat Cafe Manila. I was amazed, despite the imminently worsening weather (yes, I could see the clouds darkening into a very angry dark grey, which made me scared).
The whole place was small yet homey. The host at the door, herself named Cat, was friendly and welcoming. Upon entry, she will regale you with their stories about how Cat Cafe Manila came to be, and their partnership with CARA. She will also ask you if you're a cat lover (I AM!!!!!!) or a cat owner.
Before you get in, you are required to take your shoes off and have your hands washed or sanitised. Cat encourages people to go barefoot, but if it isn't to your liking, you can borrow their soft slippers.
Upon entering, you need to pay Php 200. Php 100 goes to CARA, and you can use the remaining 100 for your food and drink. Their drinks are whimsically named, just like the drink I ordered: Chocolate Cookie Cat. And then I ordered their Banana Toffee muffin. To my surprise and delight I ordered the same muffin twice because a) I was hungry, b) bananas and toffees really make a good muffin, c) I'm a fan of anything with bananas in it, no joke. And, trust me when I say that the muffin was delightful. I liked how warm it was served to me, and it was soft, chewy, and enjoyable. Very yummy, too. The sweetness of the toffee and the flavour of the banana were just a great match. Just be sure to eat it while it's warm --- it gets tough once it cools.
The ten cats were truly the stars of the show, except that majority of them were fast asleep. I only got to mingle with Chaka (named because of her high-pitched meow), Nacho (not named after Nacho from "Nacho Libre", unfortunately), Domino (yep, you guessed it), and Ling-ling (because she's cross-eyed or duling, get it? Get it? *nudge nudge*). They love to play around and be friendly with the visitors, most especially the very inquisitive Ling-ling who actually peeked into one of the fans' handbag, and smelled it while her head was inside it.
Truly, Cat Cafe Manila is a place for cat lovers, cat owners, for people who've been converted from being dog lovers, or just a cheeful animal lover. You will enjoy this place, I tell you. read more