PURR Cat Cafe - Boston, Massachusetts

Last year, my mom started started getting curious about her ancestral roots, so, for Christmas, I bought her an Ancestry DNA kit so she could dig a little deeper.  This was the catalyst to further research and a noticeable increase in her enthusiasm about her family's history.  My mom was a baby when her family moved from the Netherlands to Massachusetts, where they settled for about five years before moving to Southern California.  Recently, my mom and I took a road trip to Massachusetts to visit her childhood neighborhood, church and homes and my only request was that we hit up some cat cafes along the way.  Well, wouldn't you know that close to the bustling and historic city of Boston houses a cat cafe - PURR Cat Cafe - and cat cafe #20 on my list.

After a day of experiencing all things wicked in Boston, eating a lobstah roll and seeing where the Boston Tea Party tossed the tea into the harbuh, I ventured to a quieter suburb of Boston to end my day with the New England kitties - the lovely neighborhood of Brighton.  As you approach the brick and mortar front of PURR,  before you step inside the realm of happiness, the word "PURR" appears (in the iconic hot pink) in the cat lounge's front windows to grab your attention and draw you inside.  

PURR is a clean (zero litter box smells), open and spacious lounge with kitties all around.  I loved that PURR had an assortment of sitting options spaced generously apart, including cafe tables, ottomans and furry rugs, and all in bright pink and inviting colors.  I appreciated the PURR-sonal space between the sitting options because if the cat lounge was packed with people, you wouldn't all be sitting on top of one another.  Many kitty perches, walkways, ledges and cat beds were scattered around the space to allow the cats their choices of nap spots or spying forts.  And, of course, you have your choice of a multitude of cat toys, so you just pick your poison.  While PURR does not offer food  or drinks, Diane, the owner, happily permits you to bring in food and drinks from nearby establishments.  While I didn't bring anything in myself, there was a lovely looking Gyro restaurant next door and a coffee shop across the street.  PURR does have some house rules (pictured below) that they wrote on a giant chalkboard so you can't miss that it's not OK to pull the cat's whiskers.  Really though, who would do that?!  And, of course, PURR encourages you to have fun!

I spent most of my time at PURR gabbing with Diane about cat cafes and her story of opening up the first cat cafe in New England.  My reservation was at 7PM and some of the kitties were curled up napping and weren't completely in the mood for games of cat and mice, so chatting with Diane was a nice way to fill some of my time.  I really enjoyed her laid back attitude and enthusiasm about cats.  She even keeps her PURR-sonal kitty inside the cat lounge to keep her and the other cats company throughout the day which added a nice little touch of PURR-sonality to the space.  Ending my day at PURR was an excellent way to unwind and enjoy the company of some furry friends.

Just remember, while Boston is a great place for some grand ol' American history, Boston Cream Pie and the only place you can drink an ice cold Sam Adams while looking at an ice cold Sam Adams (i.e. his grave), it's also the home to some east coast cats who will remind you why this is wonderful country.  Ameowica!

<3 B

PURR Cat Cafe is located at 167 Chestnut Hill Avenue, Brighton, Massachusetts 02135.  Reservations are recommended.  https://www.purrcatcafe.com/

My souvenir "CAT MOM" beanie from PURR