The first time I ever heard of a cat café was when my friends studied abroad in Korea three summers ago. They came back and told me magnificent stories about playing with kitties…at a café. I’m sorry, what? Cats just roaming around freely for you to pet and play with while you enjoy some tea, coffee or food on the side? Whoa.
Several cat cafés have popped up around the country, and UT graduate Rebecca Gray plans to open a cat café variation right here in Austin. I say “variation” because Austin has health and safety codes in place that prohibit cats (and other animals most likely) and food to be in the same area. To work around this, she wants to open a catio (cat + patio).
Gray has started a Kickstarter project to open the Blue Cat Café. The plan is to partner with local food trucks to provide a space where customers can dine, play with cats and hopefully adopt them too. Blue Cat Café will be a mix between a social hangout and cat adoption agency with the hopes of eliminating the need for shelters in Austin. Some restaurants and trucks have already gotten involved: Counter Culture and Sweet Ritual have partnered with Gray to set up pop-up cat cafés during service hours. You can find the cat play times and locations on Blue Cat Café’s Facebook.
But the Blue Cat Café can’t become a permanent establishment without your help and support! Help the cause by donating to their Kickstarter or by spreading the news. Still not convinced that you should lend a helping hand to these friendly felines?
Here are three simple reasons why you should support the Blue Cat Café:
1. Eating food from local trucks or restaurants supports the local economy and is generally better than eating at a franchise.
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2. Playing with cats and giving them a space to call home, whether it’s at the café or with you, is always a good thing.
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3. Cats are cute. You just can’t say no to them.
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