Melbourne, Australia – the place known for coffee, brunch, hipsters, street art and more.

And as we found it, it is the purrfect city to explore with your cat.

From alleyways, to fancy cafes, to just waiting in line for yummy food.

Where We Stayed

While Melbourne does have a handful of cat friendly hotels, we decided to stay in an Air BnB in North Fitroy – The Stables.

We picked North Fitzroy because we wanted the opportunity to be close to brunch locations and also close to the city.

Lumos & Noxie looking for Harry the Golden Retriever

The Stables at North Fitzroy was an awesome choice. It was a detached stables that has been converted into a loft style granny flat.

Our cats, Lumos & Noxie, loved racing up and down the stairs, looking out the window, and curling up on the bed.

The host, is extremely lovely. She gave us breakfast and even said hi to the kitties. She has a beautiful Labrador named Harry, who really wanted to be friends with Lumos and Noxie. Sadly the feeling wasn’t mutual. But this really wasn’t a problem.

Where We Ate With Our Cats in Melbourne

We often joke that we just went to Melbourne to eat. And of course, we had to take the kitties along with us.

There are many cat friendly cafes in Melbourne, but Lumos & Noxie went to 2.

Proud Mary Café, Collingwood

We were given such a lovely welcome at Proud Mary Café in Collingwood.

And by that, we don’t just mean by the staff. We also mean the other patrons.

There were dogs there, but their owners were willing to keep them away from the cats and we had several patrons asking us about the whole concept of catexploring! Being spoken to nicely about exploring with your cat, by multiple people made the whole experience a lot more enjoyable.

We also loved people watching and seeing so many creative people, working on their books, talking about their music, design projects and more. A luxury we don’t seem to notice in Sydney.

And we loved their food and coffee – definitely recommend stopping there if you are going past with your kitty.

The Kettle Black, South Melbourne

We also stopped by at The Kettle Black in South Melbourne.

We had lunch here on a Saturday, which is probably one of their busiest times.

They were really lovely to us and found a quiet table for us outside. So quiet that Noxie even went for a walk.

The food and coffee was awesome too.

The Places We Took Our Cats to in Melbourne

The Pet Grocer, South Melbourne

As soon as we mentioned to any cat person that we were going to Melbourne, they would exclaim “You HAVE to go to The Pet Grocer”.

And boy, do I get it!

The Pet Grocer is one of those shops which are just beautiful to look at. And on top of that they sell healthy treats and raw food for your cat (and dog).

We spent a significant time in there, speaking to a friend and asking about all the different treats that were available, from freeze dried rabbits’ feet (apparently very popular with cats!), beef hearts, fish cartilage and more.

Lumos & Noxie were allowed to explore the store. I had expected that they would want to sniff all the treats but it must have been overwhelming and they preferred to watch out the window.

Lumos looking out the window at The Pet Grocer

But, they have loved eating the treats we bought home!

And Sydney pet businesses? Or any budding Sydney based entrepreneurs? We would love if there was a The Pet Grocer here too! It would make raw feeding so much easier!

Chopper Lane, Collingwood

Melbourne is known for its beautiful street art. Hosier Lane is the most famous example, but it is in the middle of the Melbourne CBD and way too busy for 2 kitties.

We were lucky to discover Chopper Lane nestled behind some office buildings, apartments and cafes in Collingwood after our brunch at Proud Mary’s.

Lumos and Noxie loved walking in the lane and we loved taking photos with them there.

Just a warning though, we definitely looked super dodgy when Noxie tried to go through the back door into an office. Luckily the person who found us laughed and asked about our Instagram cats!

Walking Around Collingwood

I’m not sure whether it was because we were in our ‘holiday’ bubble, but we did feel like we had a much more positive reaction from people as we walked around with Lumos & Noxie. We found several people stopped us and asked us questions about catexploring.

Yes, this happens in Sydney. But it just felt like it was happening more in Collingwood.

Or was it because we were in an area in Melbourne that is more likely to be accepting? Perhaps we would have the same experience when we eventually take Lumos and Noxie exploring through Newtown?

Note to self – take Lumos & Noxie to more ‘hipster’ areas in Sydney.