As I sat there with itchy, red bumps on my arms and a bloody scratch on my finger, I realized I am not, and never will be, a cat person.

My older sister, a cat fiend, set up an appointment for the two of us and my two younger sisters at the Pounce Cat Cafe in downtown Charleston. This relatively new cafe allows people to eat, drink and hangout with felines provided by the Charleston Animal Society. After playtime, a visitor may opt to adopt a kitty of their choice. Since the opening day in December 2016, there have been about 800 adoptions. Once I learned of the cafe’s mission and heard the buzz from my friends, I was curious to see how this little place operated.

I wanted to spend time with my older sister before she went back to college, so, despite my cat allergies and prior crummy cat experiences, I decided to give the cafe a shot.

When we entered, my sisters and I were kindly welcomed and each offered a free drink ticket. We were told to head to the bar in the back of the shop to receive our complimentary drinks and further instruction. The bar/cafe area was adorably furnished with pillows displaying cat puns as well as a wall full of kitty merchandise. Reading the various jokes and sipping my free lemonade lifted my spirits and excited me for what was to come next: the cats themselves.

The play area consisted of beautifully modern couches and chairs, a collection of kitty games and books (including the famous Pusheen), fancy cat paintings and photos, and about 12 adoptable felines.

At first, I sat down on the floor and picked up the plastic stick with a feather on the end and started to play with one of kittens. All was going well until the cat got a little too playful and accidentally scratched my finger. I knew I had to wash my hands before even going near my face because, of course, I had forgotten to take my allergy pill that morning. Taking into account that we had about half an hour left in our appointment, I refrained from telling my sisters and steered clear of the other cats as best I could. I moved to the corner of the cafe and flipped through some of the cat books for the remainder of the time as the itchy, red bumps appeared on my arms.

If you’re a feline fanatic or simply not allergic and looking for something out of the ordinary to do, I recommend going to Pounce Cat Cafe. However, if you’re like me and not much of a cat person, keep out.