Child Policy
That one guy that ruined it for everyone...
We finally reached a tipping point. Due to the uptick of events involving our younger guests (and their parents not actively supervising them), we have made a difficult decision to raise our age limit in the lounge to 10 and up beginning January 1, 2025.
Cat cafes are meant to be a place of relaxation and a calm environment where you can meet rescue cats who potentially can be adopted. We pride ourselves on the fact that our residents are happy and outgoing (for the most part, we're not judging the shy guys). We have had many people tell us that our residents are so friendly compared to other cafes across the country. Since we opened, there has only been one time where the cats were completely overwhelmed by the end of the day where they wanted nothing to do with anyone. We have our set of rules and regulations in place to prevent this from happening.
However, we don't typically have time to remind people that common sense should also be considered. To us, active supervision from a parent means they shouldn't just be present in the room, but should be watching their kids' actions, listening to their tones, and correcting behaviors that could cause stress to the animals. Recently we have seen:
- kids running and jumping over residents repeatedly
- moving toys and furniture to make endless tunnels with the idea that a cat can't escape
- climbing furniture to reach residents in tall places, or reaching into the cat doors to try and get a cat out
- closing a cat into a carrier and forgetting about them for someone else to find
...and the most recent:
- trapping a cat in a cat tree hidey hole by cramming so many toys into the space that they couldn't move and could have potentially suffocated
I can't make this up. Freddie and Colby are constantly getting vaulted over, they are special needs and would not be able to react in time to save themselves. Other residents being trapped in tunnels for no reason. Freddie was zipped up into a carrier and left there. Thankfully he was sleeping, and it was the end of the day so he wasn't there for long, but if no one had noticed he would have been there all night. And yes, a kitten was trapped in a cat tree with so many toys that they were spilling onto the floor. A KITTEN. If they didn't suffocate, what if they had been angry stressed and tried to take out a kid's eye?
For our regulars, we have a work-around:
We have come up with a solution for our frequent visitors who are not quite 10 yet, but over our original age limit of 5.
Enter: The Cool Kittens Club! These badges will be given to kids who are under 10 (but still over 5) who have shown exemplary skills in Cat Consent, following lounge rules, and having great listening skills. This is a PRIVELEGE that can be taken away if behavior goes bad, though.
We know there are good kids out there who are amazing humans and do a great job with everything. We would hope something like this would make them feel special and encourage good vibes to continue.
If you are one of our frequent visitors with a kid under 10, please feel free to reach out to us via email, social media, or just stop by, so we can begin issuing these to our true Cool Kittens Club members!
Many cat cafes have restrictions on younger children visiting. Pawsitivitea CNY Cafe & Cat Lounge would like to make our cat lounge accessible to as many humans as possible. We currently allow children 5 and up in the lounge, and children 5-12 MUST be accompanied by an adult- NO EXCEPTIONS. For everyone's cat lounge experience, we would like you- the parents- to please help us.
Actively Supervise your Children
It sounds simple, but we often get parents that will sit down or step away to use their phones, or converse with other adults while their children wreak havoc. While we do encourage you to be social in society, this is not an excuse to not pay attention to your children. "Active supervision" means you are ensuring your children are interacting appropriately with the cats and are following lounge rules.
Be Sure Children can Help Maintain a Calm Environment
The cat lounge is meant to be not only a place for meeting a potential new forever friend but a place of calm, relaxing enjoyment that our visitors expect. If your child would not be happy in this environment, please wait until they can be. That way everyone, both feline and human, can have an excellent experience.
Prepare Your Children to Listen to Directions
We understand that even with active supervision, children will do things they aren't supposed to sometimes. Make sure they are willing and able to comply with directions given to them by staff and volunteers. Not only is this to ensure a great visit, but also for everyone's safety. Cats can be unpredictable, after all.
Decision of the Staff is Final
Pawsitivitea CNY will now be adhering to a "three strike" rule. Upon entry to the lounge, the staff will explain the rules to you before entering to ensure we can maintain the relaxed environment we have created. If children enter the lounge and cannot act in a manner consistent to our guidelines, you and your child will be informed of this. Continued problematic behavior will result in the child having to leave the lounge. No refunds will be given if children are required to leave due to behavior.
Conclusion
We love to share the love of cats with as many humans as we can! We have come close to asking children to leave several times but have not officially had to do so yet. With the help of all parents, we can continue to provide a relaxing experience for all of our guests!
We don't ask for much, and we are not babysitters. Please do your part!
#practicecatconsent
