If you’ve ever cleaned a litter box or embraced the chaos of a multi-cat home, you know just how grateful we are for our NEKO team.
Here at NEKO, we get a lot of questions about how we care for our feline friends. While there’s a ton of snuggles and silliness that comes with working with 8-12 cats, these busy cat lovers work tirelessly to make sure you have the best cat cafe experience pawsible!
Meet the team of your favorite Seattle cat cafe before you make your next reservation. We asked our team about their favorite parts of the job, the funniest moments in the cat room, and which NEKO kitties stole their heart.
Alicia
Cat Bouncer & Pawtender
Favorite Thing About Working at NEKO
My favorite thing about working at NEKO is the staff and the kitties of course. Working at NEKO feels more like being adopted into a family than it does work. There’s so much love and everyone works together to take care of our customers and our kitties. And of course there are no bad days when you’re surrounded by those little fluff balls.
Funniest Moment at NEKO
The funniest moment at NEKO was during the Seattle women’s march when Caitlin had Nicole and I wore giant cat heads behind the bar. We could not stop laughing. Another moment that I witnessed was when Sake was trying to catch a fly in the cat room. I remember being in the back room and hearing customers cheering and then coming out to see Sake zooming all over the place, it was hilarious and so cute!
NEKO Cat You’ve Been Most Obsessed With
My first NEKO love was Cody. It was love at first sight when I met him and I cried the day he left. He was just so cute and unique and I never wanted him to leave us. But he’s in a loving home and his owner is awesome. The happy ending to this story is that I got to cat sit him over winter break. I also really loved Trixie. She was tiny but her personality was huge (RIP sweet baby). These days, Sake is my main man. I don’t work at NEKO too often but somehow he still remembers me, even if I go a month without seeing him. It took him about a month to warm up to me but now every time I see him, I can’t leave without giving him belly rubs.
Caitlin Unsell
Owner
Favorite Thing About Working at NEKO
I love watching customers faces light up when they walk in the door and see the cats! My other favorite part is going to the shelter to pick up new kitties. Taking them out of those tiny cages and bringing them to NEKO where they are showered with love and attention is the best!
Funniest Moment at NEKO
The funniest moment I’ve witnessed is our resident kitty Sake trying to catch a fly and soaring across the room, over customers heads to get it.
NEKO Cat You’ve Been Most Obsessed With
My favorite cat is Michelangelo. Sadly he has passed away but I will never forget him. He would snuggle with all the new kitties and make them feel safe. He was the sweetest guy you’ll ever meet. I love you Mikey!!
Claudia
Cat Bouncer
Favorite Thing About Working at NEKO
My favorite thing about NEKO is our amazing staff that’s definitely become a second family; a crazy family complete with 8-12 fur balls, but a family nonetheless!
Funniest Moment at NEKO
Probably every time one of the cats farts and customers start looking at each other to figure out who dealt it.
NEKO Cat You’ve Been Most Obsessed With
100% most definitely my baby Sake. I can’t help but drop everything I’m doing to give him belly rubs. Sorry Cory, he’s mine!
Cory James
Owner
Favorite Thing About Working at NEKO
Being part of a pride. Although the little lions can be a bit imPAWsible to work with, mane-ly when they are trying to get their beauty rest, it is always a great time!
Funniest Moment at NEKO
Anytime there is a fly in the cat room. No one is safe and it is literally the best five minutes of your life.
NEKO Cat You’ve Been Most Obsessed With
Sake! He has been around since we opened. Seeing his personality blossom has been amazing. He has been beyond selfless and has helped transition so many cats into NEKO. He is curious, fun-loving and loyal. Also seeing him practice parkour in the mornings can’t be beat.
Irie
Cat Bouncer
Favorite Thing About Working at NEKO
My favorite thing about working at Neko is socializing with different kinds of people who all love cats as much as I do, if not more!
Funniest Moment at NEKO
Funniest moment so far is watching Ella bounce off the walls showing off her parkour skills to our guests!
NEKO Cat You’ve Been Most Obsessed With
My current favorite kitty is Daisy! She loves to follow me around the cafe and sometimes she rides around on my neck like a tiny warm scarf.
Leah
Cat Bouncer
Favorite Thing About Working at NEKO
My favorite thing about working at NEKO is my coworkers! While I love cats, the people who work here make it a great experience. We make each other laugh so much and are all united by our love for the furry friends we serve.
Funniest Moment at NEKO
The funniest thing I've witnessed in the cafe was when one of our kitties, Gracie, would demand to be held. Customers aren't supposed to pick up the cats but she wouldn't let him leave without doing it. I told him it was ok and she immediately scaled this man like a tree, and sat on his neck. He stayed like that for a good 15 minutes, not wanting to disturb her (or risk getting bitten!)
NEKO Cat You’ve Been Most Obsessed With
mean... I adopted Quigley from NEKO so I'd have to say I'm most obsessed with him.
Lurian
Cat Bouncer
Favorite Thing About Working at NEKO
My favorite thing about working at NEKO is definitely the NEKO team! We have such a great group of passionate people here, all united in our love for our feline friends. The cats are also awesome, of course. I love learning about their unique personalities. It's especially rewarding watching cats who have had difficult pasts open up and get to be themselves.
Funniest Moment at NEKO
Funniest and cutest moment has to be when Trixie would jump up on my back to get chauffeured to the window sill any time I'd lean over. I was like a personal elevator for her, and I couldn't have been more honored.
NEKO Cat You’ve Been Most Obsessed With
I've been the most obsessed with Daisy lately. If I pick her up and hold her like a baby she falls asleep in my arms. Its probably the cutest thing I've ever experienced or ever will experience on earth
Natasha
Marketing Coordinator & Pawtender
Favorite Thing About Working at NEKO
My favorite part about working at NEKO is interacting with our customers. I don't get to hang with the cats while on shift but I get to make connections with all kinds of people from all over the world. That's pretty special!
Funniest Moment at NEKO
The funniest moment at NEKO was when Olivia and I put on these giant cat heads and pretended to be casual. We struggled to take photos for an Instagram story because we were laughing so hard.
NEKO Cat You’ve Been Most Obsessed With
I connected with kitty a right away a few months back and Caitlin encouraged me to rename him. I named him Boris from the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon. I liked to pretend we were Russian spies! He got adopted by a regular customer and I still follow him on Insta.
Nicole
Cat Room & Adoptions Manager
Favorite Thing About Working at NEKO
I truly value being able to help the cats. Providing a safe comfortable space to live while they wait for a home.
Funniest Moment at NEKO
The cats are like a live soap opera. There are too many funny moments, and it’s hard to recall just one.
NEKO Cat You’ve Been Most Obsessed With
I usually have a soft spot for the cats that are shy and secretly sweet.
Olivia
Pawtender
Favorite Thing About Working at NEKO
I love working for a small woman-owned business with a queer-positive team, and have always been passionate about working with animals. Giving hard-to-adopt cats a second chance at a happy, comfortable life is what makes working at NEKO so rewarding!
Funniest Moment at NEKO
I'm lucky to get to witness new hilarious moments every day! My favorite was a very sassy cat who loved to try and escape, but was always stopped before he could. Without fail, he would wait until I turned around, and would immediately jump into the trash in protest, and make me dig him out.
NEKO Cat You’ve Been Most Obsessed With
Trixie was always my baby, from the day she came to us just a few weeks after opening. We immediately bonded and she was my best friend. While she is no longer with us, she will always be my favorite baby.
Rae
Marketing Intern & Cat Bouncer
Favorite Thing About Working at NEKO
Though I’m new, I’ve found that I just adore watching kids get excited about the kitties! The joy as they walk around trying to learn all their names is just infectious! I feel so lucky to work at & promote a place that delights people AND has such a heart for these special kittens!
Funniest Moment at NEKO
I love watching Sake get all tough with the birds outside. I like to think he’s planning his imaginary life as the terror of the Capitol Hill pigeons.
NEKO Cat You’ve Been Most Obsessed With
Tony and Rusty have welcomed me with lots of love and open paws; I like to think it’s because we’re all gingers.
Rebecca
Cat Bouncer
Favorite Thing About Working at NEKO
I love being able to work with such a diverse and amazing team. I love being able to interact with our guests which allows me to meet so many wonderful members of the Seattle and surrounding communities, not to mention those that visit us from far a wide. My absolute favorite thing about working at Neko though is having the opportunity to love and care for each of our pawesome cats each day and to help them on their journey to find a forever home.
Funniest Moment at NEKO
The funniest moments I’ve gotten to witness at NEKO always involve the many kids that are able to visit us and our kitties. These kids of various ages always bring with them lots of excitement, funny conversation and pawsitive energy to make me laugh.
NEKO Cat You’ve Been Most Obsessed With
I tend to navigate towards the kitties who are shyer and who maybe need more effort to bring them out of their shell. For this reason, the cats that I have been most obsessed with have been Betty Davis, Matcha, and Oliver.
