Okanagan cat cafe approves multiple adoptions in first week

The cat’s out of the bag: Kelowna’s first cat cafe is a success.

Not only is Catelowna Cat Cafe a place where coffee is served with a side of kitten cuddles; every cat in the room is available for adoption.

Owner of the cafe, Ashley Karnes said that she did not expect such a great response to her business in its first week of operations.

“We have been so busy. We have had six adoptions and we have another few that are in the pipeline,” Karnes said.

“I have tears of joy. The cats that have left here — I have broken a tear but it’s in happiness that they have met their forever person and we have been 100 per cent comfortable with the families they are adopted by. I just can’t be more thrilled that after eight days the concept is working.”

All 30 of the cats that call Catelowna home are rescues from multiple animal rescue organizations and in the cafe, the cats come first.

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There are rules on how to be respectful and play safely with the cats to make sure everyone has an enjoyable experience. There are also time restrictions as well as limits on how many people can be in the room at the same time — all to make sure that the cats don’t become overwhelmed from all of the attention.

Alexa Wiebe visited Catelowna for the first time Sunday with a friend.

“It was lovely, it was so much fun, there’s a ton of room and lots of cats,” Wiebe said.

Not only is the cat cafe an amazing way to get to know the cats before you fill out an adoption form, but it’s also lowering the number of homeless cats in the Okanagan.

“There is no shortage of homeless cats, unfortunately, so we are really going to try to make a small dent in that number and help the humans involved in rescuing all of these cats by providing an outlet for them to possibly rehome their cats,” Karnes said.

Also visiting for the first time was Abi Junop who is interested in adopting two cats from Catelowna.

“Hei Hei and potentially his brother — they are bonded so it’s a package deal sort of thing,” Junop said.

There are plenty of cats waiting to meet their forever family at Catelowna, however, it is recommended you make a reservation before you visit.