cat selfie

Visiting Maison De Moggy: Edinburgh’s Cat Cafe

cat cafe in EdinburghOne of the things I really wanted to fit in during our trip to Edinburgh last week was a visit to Maison De Moggy – the cat cafe.

For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, a cat cafe is… well, it’s exactly what it sounds like, basically: a cafe filled with cats. And, I mean, if there’s something better than that in this world, then I honestly don’t know what it is. Seriously: cats! In a cafe! Or, as Terry put it, when I first suggested the visit: “Cats?! In a cafe?!”

I soon won him over, though, and so did the cats – but I’m getting ahead of myself here. So, Maison de Moggy is located in West Port, just off the Grassmarket: it costs £7 for an hour’s entry, during which you can also buy tea/coffee and cakes, although the staff were keen to stress to us that there’s no obligation to buy anything if you don’t want to – you’re free just to hang out with the cats, if you prefer.

As for the cats, there are 12 in total, and all are super-friendly and totally used to people, so you can make as much fuss of them as you like, although you’re asked not to try to pick them up, wake them up if they’re sleeping, or give them any food. The cats are free to roam around the cafe at will, but they have plenty of places to hide in, plus their own little “escape hatch” leading to a private cat area at the rear of the building, which they can retreat to any time they like. (And honestly, I wouldn’t blame them: I sometimes wish I had an escape hatch in social situations, if the truth be told…)

So, I tell you all of this just in case you ever want to pay Maison de Moggy a visit, but let’s be honest: if you’re anything like me, you only got as far as the word “cats” before scrolling down to look at the photos, didn’t you? Well, here they are…

blue eyed ragdoll cat

Inside Scotland's first cat cafe - Maison de Moggy

menu at the cat cafe, Edinburgh

white ragdoll cat

inside the cat cafe, Edinburgh

black cat at Maison de Moggy - cat cafe in Edinburgh

Had enough cats yet? Wait: what am I saying? OF COURSE you haven’t…
white ragdoll cat

Cat at the cat cafe, Edinburgh

Sphynx cat in pyjamas(Little Elodie in the final photo is a Sphynx cat, who had her own little set of tartan pyjamas to wear when she got cold: it was quite literally, the cat’s pyjamas. And yes, I HAVE been waiting over a week to make that joke…)

Needless to say, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the cat cafe, and were really impressed by how knowledgeable the staff were about the cats, and how much they obviously care for them all. If you’re a cat lover in Edinburgh, it’s well worth a visit: and I’ll leave you now with my favourite photo from our time there:

cat selfie

Hee!

P.S. I write a weekly diary which goes out every Friday to my subscribers. Sign up below to get on the list...

I also write books
COMMENTS
  • Um, yes! I would love to hang out with these gorgeous kitties, now who wants to buy my plane ticket please and thank you? Haha! That sphinx with it’s little cat’s pyjamas ~ cutest thing!! ❤

    xox,
    bonita of Lavender & Twill

    October 28, 2016
  • Ok I’m going to be inviting the wrath of the internet when I say this, buuuuut I don’t think I’m ok with this! Purely for reasons of I’ve tried, I really have, but I just don’t like cats. Or maybe that should be: I don’t trust cats. And I would be worried one is about to swipe the back of my head as I sip my hot chocolate… And also, I don’t understand why there are literally no dog cafes. I would make a trip to one of those every darn weekend if they existed! Guess who grew up with dogs…

    October 28, 2016
  • Erin

    REPLY

    AHHH!!! This is the cutest thing ever <3 We recently had a cat cafe pop-up in Ann Arbor, Michigan near me. Even though I have 3 cats at home, I feel like I need to go check it out. I believe they have adoptable cats there as well, which might be a problem for me. Can one really have too many cats? Don't answer that.

    October 28, 2016
    • Mardi

      REPLY

      I have seven, so no you can’t have too many!

      October 28, 2016
  • There’s a cat cafe here in Toronto that I walk past all the time, if by “walk past” I mean “stand outside staring in creepily for 10 minutes at a time”. I’ve never been, but I’m dying to. When I was studying abroad in Glasgow there was a pop-up cat cafe in Edinburgh that I really wanted to go to (much more expensive, though!), but they were all booked up by the time I heard about it.

    October 28, 2016
  • Myra Boyle

    REPLY

    This is a good idea, and the cafe’s prices are really cheap, although I guess they make it up in the entry fee. Would love to tickle one of these beauties

    October 28, 2016
  • Maria

    REPLY

    Aaw, it looks like a very beautiful cafe! We have a cat cafe here in Rome too, I’ve never visited it but I’m planning of visiting it very soon, I like cats and that would be a very nice experience imho!

    October 28, 2016
  • Visiting a cat cafe is really high on my list. They’re actually opening on in Charleston, near where I live, that I’m super excited about!

    October 28, 2016
  • How lovely and what beautiful cats!

    October 28, 2016
  • Rotem

    REPLY

    Oh, this is perfect! The cats are so beautiful.

    October 28, 2016
  • That is literally the most delightful concept ever and my hubs and I would totally go to one! We are obsessed with cats! Love it. 🙂

    October 28, 2016
  • Ellen

    REPLY

    Sweet! Are they all pedigrees? The one in Nottingham has mainly moggies and they are all available to be adopted. I’m not sure what the point is otherwise.

    October 28, 2016
  • D. Johnson

    REPLY

    The cat’s pyjamas joke was worth it! Those are beautiful photos. I’m surprised we don’t have a cat cafe in Maine, USA.

    October 28, 2016
  • I can’t go to the cat café nearest me, because the cats are adoptable and there is a 110% chance I would come home with all of them. (I already have a cat, and my fiancé has a puppy, and that is probably too many animals for one apartment. Probably.)

    October 29, 2016
  • Sasha

    REPLY

    LOVE the last photo. You look so gorgeous too!

    October 29, 2016
  • I’m hopefully going to Scotland next year so while I’m in Edinburgh I will be visiting this cafe. If only there was a bunny cafe down here in London….

    October 29, 2016
  • Jane

    REPLY

    I’ve lived in Edinburgh a year now and I didn’t know about this place?!?!? It looks wonderful, and the cat all look adorable and it even does Soya Lattes? This sounds perfect! Thank you for bringing it to my attention!

    November 3, 2016
  • Genuinely recoiled at the sight of the Sphynx only to see she was called Elodie (my daughters name) and then think aaaaah sweet bald Elodie cat…..!

    November 7, 2016
POST A COMMENT