Meow Lounge is a little piece of heaven with cats

Meow Lounge is Maine’s first cat cafe, and could anything be better than sitting in a room with 24 cats showing you unconditional love?

Westbrook, Maine’s Meow Lounge offers a chance for you to do just that. Located at 630 Main Street, the Lounge attracts tourists, adopters, and people who just want to spend some peaceful time with the cats.

This blogger found the place to be a little piece of heaven; of course, that is if you love cats, and I do.

Owner Anne Beal opened Meow Lounge about a year ago. With a background in sheltering, animal boarding, animal care, and television production, she had long thought about the possibilities of a cat café in Maine, but the legalities and finding the right place proved to be a challenge. Finally, it fell together.

Anna has a 30-year history with pet rescue and worked in pet boarding in Poland, Maine for 14 years. This is just an extension of what I have always done. When cat cafes first opened in the US, it sounded like something I would like to do. On July 1, 2023, that dream came true.

Meow Lounge is a little piece of heaven in a room with 24 cats showing you unconditional love

Right now, she has 24 cats, from kittens to seniors.

There is an adjacent gift shop that features local crafts, books, and t-shirts from about 30 locals, all on consignment with a 65 – 35 ratio. Snacks, coffee, and water can also be found in the gift shop.

Maine has very stringent laws when it comes to animals and food, so the cafe must be in a separate room from the cats.

Anna says the Lounge operates like a nonprofit, but technically (legally) it is not one. That’s a whole other license and a whole other set of rules.

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She started with 9 cats. Today, she has 24

At this time, she partners with 12 shelters and rescue organizations, and all adoptions go through the rescues. Meow Lounge gives the rescues another place to showcase the cats. She talked about getting five cats from Houlton, three who had been in the Northern Maine shelter for up to two years. Within two weeks, all of them had been adopted.

The benefits of this arrangement are that all the cats are vetted (for health and behavioral issues) before coming to the Lounge. Another benefit is the shelter or rescue organization is responsible for all the vet bills. Some shelters have resident veterinarians, and they go back to the shelter. Other smaller rescue organizations give her permission to take them to a local vet in southern Maine and then they pay. Some do not have a physical address. An example of this is Friends of Feral Felines who help ferals who all live with fosters.

As Meow Lounge does not get any money from adoptions, the only way to pay the rent is through people coming in.

Anna is still looking for ways to get the word out.

When she started, she had nine cats from the Androscoggin Humane Society in Lewiston. Today, she has 27 cats. We have been down to eight or nine cats. We always want to have more cats than people. Otherwise, the humans ask, where are all the cats, and the cats get overwhelmed by too many people.

Pros:

Easy to find
Peaceful
Friendly staff
Great cats
Fantastic Gift Shop

Cons:

It is hard to find any cons, but we had to list something.
Any food that’s sold must be separate from the cats (state law)
Some of the cats are on adoption wait lists which must be approved by their resident shelter.

Many visitors say this is the most relaxing experience I have ever had. It is always nice to be around cats.

The biggest complaint we hear is where are all the cats. Cats are masters at hiding, and you need to look to see them all. There is a partitioned area where the newcomers are so they can acclimate to their new surroundings. Some cats are shy and it takes them a while to get comfortable with so many people.

Another comment she hears – the cats aren’t doing anything, but remember cats sleep 16 hours a day, so the cat may not be playing as they are napping. First thing in the day, they are very energetic. Then, later on, it’s nap time.

Meow Lounge, 630 Main St., Westbrook, ME

Tel: (207) 358-0003

Email: meowcatlounge@hotmail.com.

Website: https://www.meowcatlounge.com

Reservations are required. You can pay to spend 30 mins or an hour where all the cats are. They roam free and you can play with them or pet them.

Some cats find that one spot they love being in. Others tend to gravitate from one spot to another, depending on the time of day.

As for the future, we’ll see what happens. Right now, I’m focusing on what I am doing now. Perhaps, franchising the idea – there are so many rescues.

We can’t take in strays. The cats have to be quarantined to be sure they are healthy, and determine what their personalities are. The cats need to have the right personality – they can’t be too shy or too aggressive.

Anna has a lot of groups come in. She gives discounted rates to many nursing homes, Goodwill, and Creative Works. and gives free access to Big Brothers/Big Sisters and the Center for Grieving Children. She tries to help other organizations that are trying to help their clientele.

With animal care, the job is 24/7

With animal care, the job is 24/7. She has 3 part-time employees, a college student who is working to get college credits, and herself. We are not a nonprofit, so she does not ask people to volunteer. The same goes for donations. She will take donations for food, blanks, or care items for the cats. She also directs people to their Amazon page where they can purchase items for the cats.

The work doesn’t shut off when you’re not here. With live animals, anything can go wrong at any time, and you have to be there. You have to be sure they are healthy, and if they get sick, you can’t wait till the shift starts again to take care of it.

This is rewarding as it is a safe space for the cats. In one year, 308 of the cats have been adopted. This is great as it allows the smaller rescues, fosters, and shelters to free up much-needed space.

This is rewarding as it is a safe space for the cats. In one year, 308 of the cats have been adopted. This is great as it allows the smaller rescues, fosters, and shelters to free up much-needed space.

-While summer gains visitors from tourists, and people visiting from out of state, adoptions are slower. Most cats at the Lounge are adopted within a couple of weeks.

The Lounge gives people a chance to interact on a more personal basis with the cats.

Sessions with the cats are by appointment only. People are asked to take off their shoes or put on shoe coverings (to cut down on dirt), hand sanitize between petting different cats, and only hold cats when sitting, not standing. There is also a 10-minute break between sessions for cleaning (litter box, food, water refills) and giving the cats a break from the visitors.

She now has a whiteboard as you enter the cat room with the cat’s name, and notifying visitors that the cat may have a pending adoption. It takes a few days for the adoptions to go through. The process: she calls the rescue, they do an online application, and they come back to the lounge to pick up their adopted cat. All the fees go to the rescues.

There’s no pressure to adopt. This space is just for people who want to spend time with cats.

There’s a ladder of love here. If you don’t care for a kitten so much, there are junior and senior cats as well. There’s lots of love here. We are providing a community space with a like-minded community that likes cats.

While the state is very strict about mixing food sales and cats, it is not so strict on people bringing food and giving it away for free at the Lounge’s many events where there is no sale. She has a few snacks available in the separate gift shop area.

‘There’s a ladder of love here. If you don’t care for a kitten so much, there are junior and senior cats as well. There’s lots of love here. We are providing a community space with a like-minded community that likes cats.’

In addition to the rented time with cats, Anna hosts events galore. She’s hosted a golfing day, with little putting greens set up in the cat area. The winner got prizes. Other programs include:

General crafts programs
Cat Yoga
Henna (tattoo) parties
Movie night
And even a Dating night.

For the most part, they want at least 4 people to hold the event, particularly, if the instructor has to bring supplies and get paid.

If you want a little piece of heaven, like cats, and just want a relaxing space, a visit to Meow Lounge is a must. You won’t be disappointed.

Do you have a favorite spot to visit or one on your wish list to visit to get a big dose of cat?

About the Author

BJ Bangs is an award winning cat writer, author and photographer. She has won two prestigious MUSE Medallions from the International Cat Writers Association, as well as several Certificate of Excellence awards. She has been published in national cat publications, and has won several awards from writing, communications, and advocacy.

Meow Lounge is a little piece of heaven in a room with 24 cats showing you unconditional love

She started with 9 cats. Today, she has 24

Pros:

Cons:

Many visitors say this is the most relaxing experience I have ever had. It is always nice to be around cats.

Meow Lounge, 630 Main St., Westbrook, ME

With animal care, the job is 24/7

This is rewarding as it is a safe space for the cats. In one year, 308 of the cats have been adopted. This is great as it allows the smaller rescues, fosters, and shelters to free up much-needed space.

The Lounge gives people a chance to interact on a more personal basis with the cats.

More Cat Tourism posts

There’s no pressure to adopt. This space is just for people who want to spend time with cats.

‘There’s a ladder of love here. If you don’t care for a kitten so much, there are junior and senior cats as well. There’s lots of love here. We are providing a community space with a like-minded community that likes cats.’

About the Author