What's a cat cafe?

cat cafe  noun.  a business establishment that has numerous cats available for customers to play with, usually at an hourly rate, and often offers food and drinks.

A cat cafe is a place where you can get your caffeine fix and cat fix at the same time. Imagine enjoying your morning cup of coffee and crossword puzzle while a cat looks on next to you. Or catching up with friends after work, petting cats as you unwind. Maybe you need a quiet place to finish your history paper, with a new friend sitting next to you, rhythmically purring.

A cat cafe is the cats' foster home. It's a safe place for them to stay until they are adopted. And while they're here, they're being socialized: living and playing with their fellow cats, and also learning about all the humans who come to visit them.

So while the cats are learning about you, you're learning about them. A cat cafe is the next level of adoption. You can meet and get to know your cat friends and their personalities before deciding to adopt them into your family.

Cats. Coffee. Community.

The Idea

One hot summer night, a boy and a girl were sitting on a couch. Almost every evening, after a long day of work, they would spend time together on this red couch that they bought together, using their laptops and watching TV. It was the comfortable rhythm of a pair who had been together for several years.

"Why don't we open a cat cafe?" asked the boy, casually.

The girl blinked in surprise and almost laughed at the unexpected question. She looked over at the boy, his laptop screen currently on the success story of a kitten who thrived without the use of his two back paws. His own cat had passed just months ago of a quick, debilitating cancer, robbing him of his best friend of 15 years. They weren't ready to adopt another cat yet, but maybe....

"Ok," she decided. "Let's think about this."

That was in 2015. The first cat cafe in the U.S. had opened only 8 months prior. After a successful pop-up, they officially opened Connecticut's first cat cafe in 2018.

Why a cat cafe?

We love cats. We love coffee. But it goes so much further than that.

We want to do good, for cats and for humans. We believe that cat cafes are becoming a social need, a mutually beneficial relationship for both cats and humans.

For cats who need somewhere to go, we want to provide a safe place for them to lay down their furry heads, where they can meet people who may introduce them to a new loving family and a permanent home.

For humans who seek the warmth of feline companionship, we  want to provide a sanctuary away from everyday life, where you can put up your feet and unwind with a cup of java, curious cat eyes peering into yours.