We Tried It: Cat Café MOFF

Photo: Maria Kanai

What: Cat Café MOFF, a new cat café on the second floor of International Market Place, 2330 Kalākaua Avenue

Who: A mom, her preschooler, first grader and a fourth grader

When: A Friday at 4 p.m.

If you’re crazy about felines, there is a new café open in Waikīkī where you can get your cuddles in with beautiful, rare cats. Hailing from Japan, Cat Café MOFF held its grand opening on Friday, Sept. 1, and we had the opportunity to check out the space with our kids.

We swung by after school on a Friday afternoon with my two littles and their friend Izzy. The café is located on the second floor across from Foot Locker and next to Banana Republic at International Market Place. As you enter, there’s a desk where you can purchase your tickets to enter the lounge. They are priced at $23 for 30 minutes of play with your choice of a drink and $28 for 60 minutes and one drink. The experience is free for keiki under three years, and extension tickets are available.

After you purchase tickets, you can enter a separate small room with lockers if you want to store your shopping bags or personal items. But be sure to bring your wallet in case you want to purchase treats to feed the cats. There are lint rollers in case you want to remove cat hair on the way out as well as cozy blankets (though it wasn’t cold). You are asked to sanitize your hands before entering the actual café portion.

Photo: Maria Kanai

The kitties are through the next door. We’d never seen such adorable cats! There are about 20 of these bougie-looking animals. All of them look clean and well-kept. The three kids split up and start petting the different breeds: Minuets, ragdolls, ragamuffins, Scottish folds, Russian blues and munchkins, to name a few. We’re told that they are all under a year old, so they are playful and good-natured. Some are sitting on couches, others are perched atop a cat tower or just roaming about with friends. There’s a wall with pictures and descriptions for each cat, so we were able to figure out their names quickly.

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The space itself is clean with wooden benches and comfortable pillows. A poster on the wall shares tips on how to interact with the cats, where to pet the kitties and how to be sensitive when taking a photo—no flash photography allowed. For a cat novice like me, it’s useful information.

Photo: Maria Kanai

A staff member is there to help us purchase a small spoon filled with dry cat treats for $3 or a jelly-like frappe treat in a plastic cup for $5. Near the treat station, there are cat teasers and other toys that you can use to play with the cats for free.

Do note that the cats get really excited when you feed them. The staff tells us to keep the treats on the little spoons, but the cats love to swat, so my daughter Anna had a hard time keeping still. We find our favorites quickly: Kili, the white Himalayan with brown patches on his face who isn’t afraid to come straight up to us even when we didn’t have treats. The white ragdoll cat Lani with a dark brown ombré face is affectionate. Noah loved Nao, a red, tabby white ragamuffin female cat, who tolerated cuddles even though she was taking a nap. I fell in love with Liko, a light brown female. She’s a Munchkin cat, a breed characterized by its unusually short legs, which are the result of a genetic mutation. She was sleeping when we first got there, but waddled out to say hi once she smelled the treats.

Photo: Maria Kanai

We find that time flies fast when you’re interacting with these adorable creatures. We almost forget to redeem our free drinks. The kids take home the Japanese Ramune, which is a carbonated soda in a glass bottle made old-school with a pretty marble inside. Other cold drinks include bottled and canned sodas, teas, coffees and water. They’re all kept in a fridge inside the lounge.

Photo: Maria Kanai

Cat Café MOFF hails from a chain of more than 30 stores in Japan. Next year, they plan on opening up in Ala Moana Center as a pop-up store on the ground floor, makai side. Depending on how well they do at International Market Place, they’re slated to become a permanent stay at Waikīkī.

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TIPS

1. You can enter the International Market Place through the parking garage on Kuhio Ave. Cat Café MOFF offers validation, so the first hour is free, then it’s $2 for the second hour and $2 for the third hour.
2. The best time to visit is before noon or before 5 p.m., right before their feeding times. That’ll give you the chance to see all the cats together, and the staff will share information and tips.
3. While some cat cafés on island give you the option of adopting cats, these animals are not for sale or up for adoption.
4. There is no reservation system—it is first come, first serve.
5. No outside food or drinks are allowed for the safety of the cats.

For more information, visit moff-usa.com.