Cafe Chat l’heureux – Best Cat Cafe in Montreal

If you love cafes and you love cats, you’ll absolutely adore the Cafe Chat l’heureux in Montreal. Being from Vancouver I’ve visited a couple of cat cafes before, but this one felt totally different from what I’ve experienced in BC.

What to expect…

At this cafe, the cats roam freely through the open-concept dining area. My partner and I got a couch to ourselves off to the side (“Friends” vibes) and watched with delight as cats strolled by. It is a cat-lovers paradise!

The cats are well behaved and pretty relaxed during the afternoons. If you’re lucky you may witness the staff rewarding the cats after they perform tricks, evidently they’re very talented.

Some of the cats at the cafe are up for adoption. You can read a full description of the different personalities on their website. All throughout the cafe are special pathways, boards, and ramps that allow the cats to explore and be in control of their domain.

Both cat cafes that I visited in Vancouver kept the cats in a separate room adjoining the “cafe” section of the business. This makes more sense from a food safety perspective, but it’s easy to keep your food and furry friends separate if you practice self-awareness and aren’t afraid of the four-legged company.

It felt very cozy and special to be able to eat our meal in Montreal with cute kitties only an arm’s length away.

Speaking of food, our meal at the cafe was top-notch! The menu is varied and offers a nice mix of comfort food as well as healthy options.

Welcome to the neighbourhood

The Cafe is located not far from the northeast end of Mt Royal Park and is easy to get to via train, bus, or walking. The surrounding neighbourhood is honestly one of my favourite places to have wandered when we visited Montreal last Autumn.

There are murals and street art EVERYWHERE and the brick buildings are full of charming character. Imagine narrow streets with lush vines, trees, exterior spiral staircases, and colourful finishes around every corner.

Being just a short walk away from Mount Royal and mere seconds from other local shops and businesses makes this cafe perfectly situated.

Where it all began

Cat cafes have certainly gained popularity over recent years in Canada, but they still aren’t very common in this part of the world. The first cat cafe was opened in Taiwan during the late 1990’s.

They then became popular in Japan, and have ever so slowly made their appearance here in North America. I’m SO glad they made their way over here! Spending an afternoon sipping tea and petting beautiful cats is a dream come true, not to mention therapeutic.

Support local

If you’re already a local or if you happen to be passing through Montreal, I hope you get the chance to wander through this enchanting neighbourhood and visit Cafe Chat l’heureux. It will undoubtably become a highlight and staple of your travels through Quebec.

I wonder which Canadian city will welcome cat cafes next? Delicious food, adorable company, and finding fur-ever homes for cats who need them is a solid enterprise to support.

Thank you for reading this post and if you have any comments or questions please contact me here. Bfn!