You’ve had a long New York day – we all know them. Maybe you were forced to go to Midtown. Perhaps your subway train pulled away from the platform just as you swiped through. Maybe someone knocked over your coffee after you shelled out $6 – plus tip – for it.

Whatever the cause, you definitely need a way to feel better, and I have just the thing. (Unless you’re allergic to cats, like Ryan, and therefore please ignore this post.)

Yes, cats. A room full of them. Waiting for you to play. And there are some baked goods and cups of tea, too.

‘Meow Parlour’ moved to New York in December and was an immediate hit. In fact, when I looked into visiting, there was a two-month waiting list for a 30 minute slot. It finally rolled around this week, so I went to get my feline fix.

When I got there, I realized that the waiting list/online booking was a bit of a lie. They do take walk ins as long as it’s not too busy, so if you plan on going, just call ahead on the day to make sure there’ll be space.

Another thing that was different than I’d expected was how it was far less of a cafe and more of a room to play with cats. They do serve coffee, tea, cold drinks and treats (and the coffee is glorious), but it’s not the sort of place you’d go to catch up on school work or delve into a good book. It just doesn’t have that sort of atmosphere.

But it does have lots of cats. Lovely, playful, pretty cats. These friendly felines – who were endlessly amused by a piece of string or enjoyed curling up in my fellow visitors’ laps – won me over immediately.

My favorite thing about the cat cafe (well, apart from the cats), is that it doubles as an adoption center that works with KittyKind. The cats, who sleep in the cafe overnight, are brought here to play with each other and meet prospective parents all day. So far the cafe has had more than a dozen adopted and right now they have nine looking for homes. (See their pretty faces here.)

If you’re not in the position to take one of these guys home — or if your significant other has an allergy (boooo, I feel your pain) — at least this place exists for you to get your fix.

Meow Parlour can be found at 46 Hester Street in the Lower East Side. It’s open between noon and 8pm every day apart from Wednesday, when they close for a catnap. They encourage you to book online, although they do take walk ins if there’s space. They have a surprisingly lengthy list of coffees and treats too. And plenty of cats.

And the visit means I’ve ticked off another one from my ’30 Before 30′ list, wooop.

New York, NY 10002