Today we’d like to introduce you to Eilene Kramer.
Hi Eilene, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
It started with a simple off handed remark my daughter said when I was getting ready to retire. “You should open a cat cafe.” And I did. With a lot of faith and not nearly enough experience, it happened. We were met with incredible enthusiasm and support our opening weekend. 5 short months in, Covid hit. Don’t know how but we made it. We outgrew our original space and June of 2025 we moved into our new 3600sq foot home. MeWow is a one-of-a-kind destination that combines the warmth of a neighborhood café with the life-changing mission of cat adoption. Guests enjoy spending time with friendly, adoptable cats in thoughtfully designed cat rooms while supporting local rescue efforts and helping cats find their forever homes. We are fast approaching our 1000 adoption! You don’t need to want to adopt to visit. We welcome any cat lover to come and enjoy time in either our playful kitten room or cuddly cat room. We are partnered with local rescues. This partnership allows them space to place and have care for their cats at no cost which allows them to use that money to help more cats in need. At its heart, MeWow’s mission is simple: to make people happy while helping cats find their furever homes. Our motto, “Come happy, leave happier.”
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Live customers, live cats, live staff and food. What could go wrong?
Running a cat cafe is hard. There are so many balancing acts. You have to know how to combine the cats in order that you don’t have the MMA smackdown going on. Add to that the daily operations of a cafe and retail establishment. It’s crazy. This is also a business based on love of animals and people. Every month is a struggle financially to stay on the rights side of the red line. You don’t own a cat cafe to make money!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I didn’t know what a little cat cafe could do to mend the souls of so many. During Covid, customers would come and just hold the cats in a stupor. Now when customers come, pictures, pictures, pictures and then the phone goes down. All they want to do is spend time with the cats and be engaged with nothing else.
We are masters of understanding cats and what they need. None of us hold any degrees in the veterinarian world but each of us is close to an expert in feline behavior!
We are proud of our adoption numbers. We find the right cat for those looking for a fur friend. That goes as well for our rescue partners. They understand the necessity of combining the right cats and we discuss purrsonalities before cats are brought. We don’t just take the outgoing ones, we take the shy ones too. We work with them and they all become outgoing love bugs.
We bring happiness to our customers and cats, one person at a time.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
We are happy to support our local rescue partners. The entrance fee that our customers pay to play with our cats is used for the care of furry residents until they find their furever home. Every dime of it. When you visit, ask us how much we spend on litter each week!!
Pricing:
- 12 per 1/2 hour adult
- 8 per 1/2 hour for child, student, vet & 1st Responder
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www..mewow.cafe
- Instagram: @mewowcatcafe
- Facebook: https://fb.com/mewowcatcafe
