Hey Thanks, Catio

Hey Thanks, Catio,

It started about a month ago. Out of the blue, freshly woken from a nap, my daughter told me that she wished she had a pet. She’s at an age when everything she says is so cute it’s almost upsetting. When people mimic baby talk, they sound like her. When she talks about wearing a mask to protect against “the bi-rus,” when she tells me her favorite color is rainbow, when she calls the inflatable Thanksgiving turkey outside her day care “that biiiiig chicken.” It’s a lot. So when she told me she wished she had a pet, my immediate thought was Jesus Christ, that’s cute. 

But my second thought was me too. I remembered a Critic’s Pick that Scene contributor Charlie Zaillian wrote in the spring, back in the early days of the pandemic when we first began filling the Scene’s Critics’ Picks section with offbeat ideas for biding time and trying to cheer ourselves up. He recommended taking a trip to see you, Catio — he said you were a great time, and described you as “a big room full of happy, loving felines.” Still, I wasn’t sure what to expect. No offense, but the concept of visiting a cat cafe during a pandemic struck me sort of like a cuddle party — sounds sweet, but might be pestilential. 

But I needn’t fear, Catio. You’ve got social distancing down to an art, with timed appointments and mask requirements and cleanliness galore. And that’s no small feat with dozens of purring, playful cats underfoot! We walked in, and my daughter was instantly in heaven. She stood there for a few seconds, wide-eyed, before breaking into delighted giggles and running by cat after cat like she was high-fiving dancers on Soul Train. After several minutes of this revelry, I asked her which cat was her favorite. She picked the one she said was “the most beautiful” — a sleek white kitten who looks like an ancient Egyptian drawing of a cat. We took her home that night.

“What will you name her?” I asked my daughter, hoping for something adorable like Butterbit or Owlie. But my child, in addition to being ridiculously cute, is also a way too cool for a Butterbit. She decided that Hala was the kitty’s name, then twirled in a circle like she does when she’s really pleased with herself. 

If I thought my kid was cute before, it’s nothing compared to this new level of cuteness — thanks to the mixture of pride and delight she feels in her new status as a kitty owner. 

Thanks for the upgrade, Catio.

—Laura Hutson Hunter

Arts Editor, Nashville Scene

Like what you read?


Click here to become a member of the Scene !