Adele says Hello in surprise visit to Vancouver cat café
Vancouver’s cat cafe was friskier than usual Tuesday when singer Adele popped in unannounced to say Hello to a cat named Larry.
The 28-year-old chart-topper from England is touring North America for the first time in five years in support of her album 25. She visited Catfe with her threeyear-old son Angelo and an unknown man, while her entourage waited just outside the Pender Street location, according to staff.
Catfe opened in December and has become a tremendously popular spot for cat lovers looking to sip a latte while cuddling cats that are up for adoption. Adele is in Vancouver to play sold-out shows Wednesday and Thursday at Rogers Arena, a block away from the cafe.
“Purrista” Leona Morrison said Catfe was fairly busy Tuesday around 7 p.m. when a “very special visitor” surprised customers and staff.
“When she (Adele) first came up, I didn’t recognize her so I told her we were full,” Morrison said. At the time, Catfe was packed with a birthday party and customers specifically looking to adopt.
“My co-worker was about to tell her that she looked like Adele when she told us that she is Adele and she asked if she could come in, if even for a few minutes. We said ... OK!”
Morrison later approached the singer inside the cosy cat lounge to see if she wanted a drink and found her and Angelo “loving on Larry,” a domestic longhair rescued by the B.C. SPCA.
“I think she went up to Larry because he was available and also he’s just amenable,” Morrison said. “He’s a friendly guy. He looks like he will accept pats and he totally will. He’s a great boy.”
By Wednesday morning, as news of the visit leaked out, Larry had become a local feline celebrity with fans visiting Catfe just for a chance to pat the cat who cuddled Adele.
Larry has been adopted. New owner Andrea Martin Blair picks up Larry on Thursday and said the cat essentially chose her when she and her teenage son visited Catfe looking for a new family pet.
“Larry put a paw out, so I reached out to him and all of a sudden he started climbing up my arm,” she said.
Martin Blair said she was "howling” when she learned about Larry’s visit with Adele; she had just got tickets to see the singer’s Wednesday night show.
“I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be lovely if she’d sign Larry’s photo for me?’”
Morrison said she didn’t get much of a chance to speak with Adele during her visit, but seven 12-year-old girls attending a birthday party were star-struck. They tried to take photos of the singer, but were asked not to and were “very respectful,” keeping their distance, Morrison said.
“They were just blown away,” she said. “The mom said it was probably a party that no one is going to forget. It was really great.”
Tessa Reed, a “purrista” and “cat whisperer” at Catfe, chose a dreadful day to trade shifts. Reed asked a colleague to cover for her Tuesday night so she could make an appointment to get a new tattoo — of a cat, of course.
But she was thrilled to hear about Adele’s visit and she hopes it inspires more people to adopt a pet from Catfe, which has found homes for 150 cats since opening.
Adele’s management didn’t immediately return requests for comment.
“I think she (Adele) went up to Larry because he was available and also he’s just amenable. He’s a friendly guy.” — Leona Morrison