A Sanctuary Cafe

All the cats here are super healthy, friendly, and clearly well-loved♡ $40 / hour (includes $10 café credit) easily book online. Totally worth it! Don’t forget to try their cat-shaped macarons! Just a heads-up: no picking up the cats, no flash, and no feeding : )

There are 3 separate aspects of this cat cafe (cat lounge, cafe, bookstore) and each requires a separate review. * cat lounge: The core service of this business. I visited at 11:30am, which is not normally an active hour for cats. TL;DR: a lot of thoughts and efforts have been devoted for the wellbeing of the cats and guests, however an over-restrictive guest contact policy has severely limited positive interactions between the cats and guests and has made the cats grown weary of visitors. The cat lounge is an absolutely wonderful place for the cats. Lots of sun-bathing spots, place to rest and hide if grown weary of people, and a variety of stimulating items and environments (high passes, blanket fort, BirdTV) to serve the cats' needs. The lounge is staffed and supervised almost constantly to address any issues should something happen. The place is accommodating to visitors. I was very surprised on how clean and odorless the place was, especially considering the number of cats within. I cannot smell any cat odor, nor can I discover any clumps of loose fur or cat litter anywhere around the place. The staff states that the place is deep-cleaned every morning, and I struggle to find any other explanation that can keep this place much cleaner than an average household with just 1 cat. Staff is very friendly, helpful, and informative. The lounge is a bit small and cramped, and throughout my stay I have to watch myself not getting in other people's way. I think the lack of space stresses the cat a little bit as well, as I find some of the cats staring at other cats for a long time (a somewhat aggressive posture between cats, usually over purrsonal space). I do not observe any other aggressive posturing between cats, though. However, the most disappointing aspect I found about my visit was the attitude of the cats toward visitors. Cats are clean and healthy, albeit a bit sedated. Possibly due to my time of visit, but I believe there is more to that, as I found cats that are silently observing the entire time, and much of the freshly awoken cats won't engage with guests, toys, or any of the other stimuli either (except for a young ginger, who I believe is either Benji or Simon). I attempted to approach the cats with slow blinks and offer my hand for them to smell as a greeting, but much of the cats simply ignored me and won't even twitch their nose to smell me. I observed a guest who pet a cat without cat's approval (possibly out of frustration of the non-engagement as well?), and after a short while the cat erupted with a yell and swiped at the guest. I believe that this indicates the cats have grown tired of the non-stop stream of people and their attempts to engage, and they view us the visitors as nothing but nuisances that frequent their habitat. In the current state, I would not book the cat lounge again, because I was only able to pet a cat for a very limited amount of time, and that the cats do not welcome my presence. I have no prior experience with a cat cafe so I cannot offer much insight beyond my visit. However, I would suggest that the management seek suggestions from people who has experienced other cat cafe. In addition, after taking the cat's daily food intake into account, I suggest that the management provide a ration of cat treats to each guest to offer to the cats. Food is the most important motivator and it would reinforce a positive sentiment toward guest strangers. * cafe: The cafe is decent with a standard offering of drinks and pastry. I ordered an iced matcha latte, a croissant, and a tiramisu, and everything is satisfactory.There is limited seating inside the cafe, plan for a carry out. * bookstore: The bookstore features a curated selection of books on all topics, ranging from cats, to Emily Dickinson, to cats, to Bostonian history, to cats, to cosmology, to cats. The ratio between the font-sizes of authors to titles is generally delightfully low. I picked up the End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking) by K. Mack, Play with Your Cat by M. Delgato, and You Like it Darker by S. King.

**PLEASE READ BEFORE BOOKING!** I was genuinely looking so forward to visit this cat cafe, as I absolutely love cats and have had great experiences at other cafes in the past. Unfortunately, this visit was extremely disappointing and uncomfortable by far the worst cat cafe experience I’ve had. To begin with, the space is very small and feels overcrowded. Despite the limited room, they allow multiple groups in per session. During our visit, there were around eight people in the area with us, not including staff (with staff there were 13) making it difficult to move around without tripping over items on the floor. For the price we paid ($87 for two people), I expected a much more comfortable and engaging environment. The biggest issue, however, was the staff. From the moment we entered the room we were extremely uncomfortable, it felt like we were being constantly watched by the staff and very unwelcoming.There were around five employees in the room, and instead of just supervising, many of them were actively engaging with the cats playing with them, feeding them treats, and drawing their attention away from the guests (As you can see in the picture below that was only one corner of the area and there was already two employees just in that single corner). At one point, the cats followed the staff into the back room and stayed there, leaving very little interaction for the paying guests. What was most upsetting was being reprimanded by an employee for gently petting a cat I was told the cat had "had enough," even though it appeared completely content and I was being extremely gentle the entire time. The whole experience felt restrictive and frustrating, and honestly, I couldn’t wait to leave. We ended our session early because it just wasn't enjoyable. Overall, this experience was not worth the money or the excitement leading up to it. I’ve been to other cat cafes that offer far more relaxing, respectful, and guest focused interactions with the cats. I wouldn’t recommend this place, there are definitely better options out there if you’re looking for a true cat cafe experience. Sorry for the lengthy review, however, I would like to share my experience while also saving someone money they wish they didn't pay.

I’d been to many different cat cafés and this is the least enjoyable one I’d been to. It felt like I was being watched like a hawk by employees so I was so scared to even a pet a cat. This was the only cat café I visited where the cats barely interact with guests. They seemed to only want to interact with the employees. The employees play with them, taking the cats’ attention away from guests. This was so expensive and you just sit there and stare at sleeping cats while the employees stare at you 🙂‍↕️ It was so weird and I’m so disappointed since I waited a long time to visit this place.

The kitties are so sweet and the staff is wonderful! Elinor slept with her tongue out which was hilarious and Fitz made some biscuits while receiving lots of gentle pets that eventually put her to sleep. I was in heaven! The place is very clean and well kept, the staff clearly love their job and the cats (and are super cool to chat with!), and the food/drinks are tasty! I highly recommend checking this place out if you're local or just visiting the area. Its adorable and the kitties are the sweetest!

Went with a friend expecting it to be a good time because we’ve been to other cat cafe’s before and it was always a good experience. We paid $87 for 2 reservations (which is crazy) . The place itself is very cute but extremely small so if theres more than 3 people it seems very overcrowded and uncomfortable (it is Boston so not extremely unexpected). Obviously there is guidelines to follow regarding interactions with the cats but it honestly felt like you couldnt do much, you cant pick them up, wake them up, you cant pet them unless they come up to you etc. while the cats themselves were extremely adorable none of them really cared to interact with you and they all seemed overstimulated from all of the incoming people. Staff were constantly watching over you which got a little awkward and uncomfortable but honestly reasonable due to needing to make sure people are following protocol but still very strange. Idk i think for the prices you pay its not worth it there are much better cat cafe’s you can visit for cheaper prices, bigger space, and way friendlier cats.

A lovely cat cafe, a bit pricey for the entry but you see where the money goes. The cats have lots of places to explore, play, as well as hide and rest. It was my GFs birthday and as a celebration they gave everyone there treats which brought all the cats upon us at once which was a sight to behold. Everyone working is incredibly nice and happy to help from check in to leaving!

when looking for cat cafes, my most important criteria is whether the cats are treated well. this cafe does an amazing job with that. from the moment you set up your reservation, you can tell how much this establishment loves their cats. it is on the pricier side, but i imagine it’s to cover the costs of caring for the cats and beacon hill rent. you do get a complimentary beverage though. if you are celebrating a birthday or anniversary, you get a treats bag to give to the cats, which was nice. this cafe adopts cats from kill shelters in the south and hoarding situations. the staff knows each cat well and will advise you how to interact with them in the best way. the cats are adorable and have a wide range of personalities. all are ensured to be socialized comfortably in a way to not distress the kitties. as all cats do, they like to sleep during the day. if you would like to visit when they are more active, i would suggest visiting later in the day and during a weekday, when it is less busy. all in all, a wonderful experience. it’s great to see cats adopted and treated so well. the pastries and drinks were delicious.

My partner took me here for Valentine's Day (February 13th because the 14th was booked out ) and it was probably one of the best local experiences I've had in Boston . Even though I have lived here my whole life, this is the first time I've actually stayed around Beacon Hill for a while and got to experience the neighborhood friendliness in addition to the welcoming staff. The café is just a 8 minute walk from the Charles/MGH station off of the Red Line and in the heart of Boston. With me and my +1's $10 credit combined, I got a chocolate croissant and a iced lavender latte, which was surprisingly tasty. The croissant was very fluffy and buttery and the lavender syrup in the latte wasn't overpowering the aroma of the coffee itself (I was too busy taking pictures of cats to include a picture ). It goes to show the café focuses on their cat and café experience. Also, since I have circumstances in which I am not allowed to have cats of my own, it was a very therapeutic experience to go somewhere where I could treat 16 cats like my own for one hour (as you can see with a couple of cat selfies). Not to mention, the hour flies by very fast . Now have more cats, you get the opportunity to both see them sleeping and interacting with them which was awesome for me to experience. The café does require you to sign some waivers prior to your appointment, but these cats don't seem likely to scratch you at all. Thank you Sanctuary Café for granting my dreams to play with cats.11/10 would come here again for my birthday if I can .

Can you imagine how much they charge to pet cats and a drink? $20 tops? $25? No. FORTY DOLLARS. The area is cramped, it smells odd, and it's an utter rip off to pet cats in an area that basically avoid you. The $40 "complimentary tea" we got should be borderline illegal for being a scam. They tossed a tag bag into a cup.

I've only been to one other cat cafe, so I was quite excited for this to open and to give it a try! We got a complimentary drink, which was nice; I got a jasmine tea, which I was pleasantly surprised to find tasted like actual and well-steeped jasmine (I find a lot of places under or over-steep it, or scald it with water that's too hot). We didn't try any of the pastries because they weren't included, and also seemed a bit expensive given how much we'd already paid for the experience. The space isn't huge downstairs, so it's a bit intimate with whoever else may have booked (seems like they build in a 10-15 overlap); that could also be because they had just brought in some new cats and had split the space while they were getting acclimated. The staff are very friendly and clearly care deeply about the wellbeing of the feline friends inside, which I find really encouraging. They also do a really good job keeping everything clean. I'd you're looking for a quirky fun thing to do, check it out!

This place is my happy place! There is limited seating but they always have great baked goods and I always try their new drinks when they get new seasonal drinks. I love watching the cats while I drink their amazing warm teas. Their interpretation of the London Fog called the Charles Fog was so warm and comforting. All the drinks I've tried are so good! The tabby cat drink my friend got was so amazing as well. Definitely worth a visit!