Painting with Cats

It’s kind of like “Running with Wolves” or “Swimming with Dolphins” but much less majestic and a lot more messy.

So one of the things that’s been on my “Bucket List” is going to a cat cafe. I always figured I’d have to go to New York City or a more trendy, metropolitan area in order to experience anything like it, but fortunately, some fellow cat lovers opened one right here in Richmond! Hooray! It’s a combination of a cafe “Central Purrk” with an adjacent lounge called “Zoomies.” They charge admission in half hour and hour long increments, and you’re welcome to purchase items at the cafe and then bring them over to play with the cats!

Essentially, it’s Kaitlyn heaven.

But it gets even better because they use the cat-centric space for other fun activities like Yoga with Cats, Movie Night with Cats (where they show movies about cats, of course), and Cat Paint Night. This last activity I had the privilege of attending, and it was all around one of my favorite experiences, and I plan to go back soon!

I first have to point out that I wasn’t going to go to a cat-themed activity and NOT dress appropriately. And by that I mean, I had to wear this super cute cats in space dress. It’s pretty much my favorite thing right now because CATS and SPACE and PURPLE. It’s glorious. (You can get it for yourself at Modcloth if you’re as cat-obsessed as me!)

In fact, it was so much of a hit that one of the cats mistakenly assumed my dress was another cat and pounced on it!

I started out the evening by having a few minutes to pet the kitties and then we jumped right into painting! We had several cat-themed pieces we could choose from and I ultimately went with this cat drinking coffee at the edge of a table one. I modeled mine after sweet Sir Finnegan since he wasn’t there to join in on the fun. (Not that he would have wanted to, but I can dream). I even made sure to add in his iconic “under-the-nose” smudge.

Because we were working with acrylics and you have to wait a bit between layers for the paint to dry, I had ample time to play with the kitties between coats. JJ, this stubby-tailed orange tabby was especially curious and even accidentally jumped into my paint dish and tracked paw-prints over the countertop for a bit. (He was mostly interested in getting to the cups of water we had out for cleaning our brushes which was NOT cat-friendly drinking water!) It was pretty much the quintessential “painting with cats” moment!

After we’d finished our paintings there was also plenty of time for kitty cuddles and to really see the cats’ personality’s shine. Elliot, the only kitten of the bunch, was a fan favorite because of his colorings and his sweet and cuddly personality. I also had the triumph of being able to pet Ozzie (a rather skittish Maine Coon looking cat that was taking some time to warm up to people). And Jaina, one of two black cats at Zoomies, was an absolute doll. She had to show everyone that she was the BEST wheel runner. JJ was probably the most sociable and chill of the cats. He spent most of the evening snoozing on the top of a cat tree right next to me.

Basically it was all around amazing and everyone needs to check out their local cat cafe. Animal rescue groups are doing some amazing things these days in terms of connecting with the community in fun, new ways that’s ultimately leading to more pets being adopted (And less euthanized! Yay!)

So go play, pounce, and paint with your favorite local kitties!