Lola on the Road: Mauhaus Cat Cafe and Lounge (Maplewood, MO)
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I'm sure you all will love reading about my next stop as much as I loved being there. Today I'm happy to share with you the fabulous Mauhaus Cat Café and Lounge in Maplewood, MO
When I heard that the Cat Writers' Association (CWA) was holding their annual conference in St. Louis this year, the first thing I did was look up cat cafés! (Surprised? Probably not!) I was very happy to learn Mauhaus was only a 20-minute ride from our hotel, so I took the quick trip over on Sunday morning before my flight home.
While looking back on my visit and organizing my notes (which are generally scribble so it takes me a while), one word keeps coming to mind; family. Walking into Mauhaus is like being welcomed into a family gathering and fitting right in. I was very warmly welcomed by Alyssa (General Manager), Liz (Storefront Manager), Mila (Lounge Manager), and Bri (staff), who were so nice to give me some of their time on a busy day.
Mauhaus is located in a storefront on a quiet street in Maplewood, MO.
The cats have lots of comfy spaces to occupy while they spend an afternoon watching the world outside.
When you arrive you enter into the café area.
A variety of coffees and teas are available for purchase, as well as sweets and savory items (which change daily.) You can view their menu here.
Everything is made on the premises and the café sells a cookbook with all of their recipes.
The decor is adorable!
When you enter the lounge area you're in an immaculate, spacious room that's obviously designed for the cats' comfort. There is catification galore!
There are floor to ceiling shelves and a superhighway that the cats can walk around the room on. There are plenty of beds, trees, toys and anything a cat could want. Including a warm lap, of which there were plenty when I visited. It was a packed house with many happy visitors that day, which made it a little difficult to get some photos (but I did my best!)
Mauhaus, which opened in November of 2016, is Missouri's first cat café. When owners Ben and Dana Valenti went to a cat café while on vacation in Thailand, they instantly fell in love with the idea and thought St. Louis would be a perfect place for something like this.
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| Taylor |
As of May 31, they have celebrated 227 adoptions! The café has two volumes of beautiful photo books celebrating the cats who found their forever homes. I sat with Alyssa, Bri, and Charlie as they looked at the books with me and shared their favorite memories of each cat. Much like a family reminisces over old photo albums.
Charlie knew so much about the cats that I thought he worked there, but it turns out he's one of many regulars. Charlie has been coming to the lounge a few times a week for about two years now, and it's no surprise that he adopted a cat. Claudine, who loves belly rubs, was adoption #128 and doesn't mind that her dad continues to support the Mauhaus kitties.
Bri was also a regular before becoming an employee about two years ago. One of her favorite things about working here is meeting people who say they are not coming in to adopt a cat, but return a week later and leave with a new family member. Bri says it's "so much fun to see people love the cats". She also says adoptions can be bitter-sweet, but it's nice to see the cats go to their forever homes.
The maximum number of cats in the lounge at one time is 18, which includes the two resident cats. Taylor and Lorelai were actually the first two cats in the lounge, and well, the rest is history. They now enjoy calling Mauhaus home and greeting other cats as they come in.
There were about 17 cats in house on the day I visited. They were all very comfortable in their environment and enjoyed interacting with the visitors while under the watchful eye of staff and volunteers. It was nice to see how closely they were supervised, and if a cat seemed a little overstimulated or appeared to need their space, they were taken care of quickly.
It's a comfortable space for humans, too. There are plenty of places to sit while you eat, drink, or play with the cats.
When I asked about favorite adoption stories, several staff had the same cat in mind - Marni. Marni, their first long time resident who was there for eight months, was a sassy Tortie who did not like social interaction or being touched. Little by little she started coming around to staff and would tolerate occasional chin scratches. One of the regular visitors, Sharon, had her eye on Marni and would come in every Sunday to spend time with her. Today Marni enjoys her forever home with Sharon and is a very snuggly lap cat who enjoys bringing her mom toys. Liz says Marni's story "really shows that with love and patience, even the sassiest of cats can learn to love." I have to agree!
Mauhaus has about ten paid employees. Their rescue partner, Stray Haven Rescue, is always looking for volunteers. So if you're in the area and want to volunteer, check them out.
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| Who's hiding under here? |
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| It's Lorelai! |
Mahuaus is an important part of the community, bringing people together and giving them a place to unwind. It not only helps homeless cats find a home but it also educates people on topics such as FIV and TNR.
Liz generously donated a mug for my cat café swag giveaway. It's probably no surprise that I wanted to pay it forward and did a little shopping while I was there. There may or may not be a shirt added to the giveaway - you'll just have to wait to find out! There was also another little surprise in my bag that said "catnip" on it. I thought it was catnip for the cats and immediately put it in the closet so Lexy wouldn't rip it open. However, it was catnip tea! LOL! It's a good thing I didn't spread it all over the rug!
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All cats (except the resident cats) are adoptable through Stray Haven Rescue. Once the application is filed and approved, the adopter returns to Mauhaus for an interview to make sure the chosen cat is the best fit for the person. A date is then scheduled for the new family member to be picked up. Same day adoptions are not done because they feel adopting a cat is a serious decision and taking time helps everyone involved to make sure this will be a forever home.
Mauhaus is located at 3101 Sutton Blvd., Maplewood, MO 63143. Business hours are:
The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children (12 and under) for an hour visit, with a complimentary $5 beverage and 20% off any food or additional beverages. Reservations are recommended, but walk-ins are welcome, space permitting. (There is a limit of two children per one adult guardian in the lounge.) If you'd like to book a private party you can see details here.
I'd like to extend a huge "Thank You" to the staff (and visitors) who spent time with me, sharing their love of the cats and the café. I had a wonderful time and just loved being there. I was impressed with everything, including the cleanliness, the catification, and how well respected the cats are.
Don't forget to follow Mauhaus Cat Café & Lounge on social media:
Stay tuned for the next installment in our Cat Cafe series as Lola The Rescued Cat goes on the road. The next cafe to be featured will be Purr Cat Café in Brighton, MA.
I did something a little different with the collages this time - tell me what you think.
Have you ever visited a cat café?
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