By VANESSA SKILDUM
If you ever find yourself in Milwaukee and are in desperate need of coffee and cat cuddles, Sip & Purr Cat Café is the perfect place to stop by.
Located at 2021 E. Ivanhoe Place, Milwaukee, WI 53202, Sip & Purr Cat Café was the first cat café in Milwaukee. Since its grand opening in June 2018, they have had 1,352 cat adoptions, with more to come.
Two house cats are not up for adoption. They are called Nacho and Nero. Nero is specifically a registered therapy cat. The workers have noticed that having some constant companions helps new cats adjust. All the other cats in the café are available for adoption with applications on their website.
The café exclusively works with Lakeland Animal Shelter in Delavan to rescue cats in southern Wisconsin. Sip and Purr is currently the only cat café in America that takes in international non-risk cats routinely.
The café and the cat lounge are separate from each other. No cat is ever in the café side. They have homemade pastries with vegan and gluten-free options. Their drink options consist of coffee, tea, beer, spirits, and wines. If you don’t want to pet the cats, you can stay in the café. There is plenty of seating and a window into the cat lounge to observe the cats in action.
To get into the cat lounge it is recommended that you make a reservation. Regular bookings are $12.72 per person. However, they hold Wisker Wednesdays and Feline Fridays when the cost of admission is $8. Each session lasts 60 minutes. They also offer yoga with cats on Mondays costing $21. You can visit their website sipandpurr.com to book reservations and to find more information.
I had the opportunity to visit the café this last weekend. It is required you sign a waiver before entering. It just goes over the house rules and procedures if you get bitten or scratched by a cat. The house rules were discussed in the lounge, and we were left to enjoy our time. Cats were laying on the window sill, in cat condos and beds. Others were already running around.
Toys were provided for the cats to play with. Picking up the cats is allowed, but ask a worker first. They try to avoid as many bites and scratches as possible. 10 minutes into my visit, a cat named Manu settled into my lap. He stayed there the rest of the time.
Manu is one of the cats they rescued internationally. He is one year old and from Doha, Qatar. He has Feline Immunodeficiency Virus. FIV attacks the immune system of a cat, making them vulnerable to infections caused by normally harmless bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Manu has an amiable and affectionate temperament making him safe to put with the other cats in the lounge.
Sip and Purr Cat Café has a warm welcome environment perfect for non-cat lovers and cat lovers alike. It is a unique and memorable way to spend some free time that will leave you wanting to return.
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