Meow Parlour Returns from Pandemic Shutter with Help from Petco Prize

Eighteen months suffering a pandemic purgatory, the Meow Parlour finally returns to the Lower East Side.

The seven-year-old cat cafe reopened at 46 Hester Street two weeks ago, thus concluding a closure that began at the outset of the pandemic in March 2020. Meow is in soft relaunch mode, open on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am – 7pm to start, with reservations taken through their website.

The news also comes alongside an update that the business scored grand prize in the “Petco Love Stories” contest about how rescued animals can change lives for the better. For the winning submission, Meow Parlour co-founder Christina Ha shared a story about her newly adopted cat, Skooty, who strengthened the bond with her dad during the pandemic. When Ha was forced to shut down and move back home with her parents, Skooty “lifted her spirits,” inspiring her and her family to make 8,000 masks for essential workers.

The grand prize of $100,000 will go toward expanding to the second floor of 46 Hester, creating new areas for animal intake, pick-up and drop-off for more new cats and their volunteer fosters, veterinary wellness check-ups, office space, and more.