Orlando’s Cat Café might just be the most snuggly place to grab a cup of coffee in the whole city!

October 17th, 2021

Let’s face it, as much as people love to get away and vacation, the idea of leaving behind their pets is always difficult to do. However, at the Cat Café, visitors get to enjoy the company of several adoptable cats in a spacious 1,000 square foot Cat Play Area. Yet, while the staff would love that everybody that visits leave with a new forever home for its cats, there’s no uncomfortable push by them to do so.

“We have many local residents that just like the vibe of the Cat Café and use it as a place to relax and enjoy the coffee from Minch, although we have had some “regulars” who do eventually end up adopting,” said owner Sandra Cagan.

“Sometimes we have individuals who have a family member who has a cat allergy and the cat café is a place that they can go by themselves to get their “feline fix” in.”

Those thinking of adopting, but are worried that the cat won’t necessarily bond with them, have a bit of advantage when going to the Cat Café.

“In a regular shelter the cats and kittens are in cages and people end up choosing one,  because they “look cute” or “they have a nice color,” but that is hardly the best way to choose a life-long companion,” said Cagan.

“At the Orlando Cat Café, the cats and kittens roam free in the spacious 1,000 sq. ft. Cat Play Area and you can really see how they interact with you, with other guests and with other cats. Additionally we have an entire Cat Care Team who know the cats’ personality and can assist someone in choosing the best cat for their particular situation. Some want a more playful cat and some are looking for lap cats and some want a cat that will do well with other cats and we know that information and can help steer them to the right cat for them. We do also see the phenomena of cats choosing their own families very often as well. Sometimes a potential adopter will come in, because they saw “the orange cat” online, but it is the grey cat that visits with them, plays with them and chooses them! We actually see that just about every day!”

However, some cats are really attached to their siblings so one cat might not be all you’re going to leave with.

“We often get siblings so we absolutely would try to get them adopted out together to the same family, especially if they seem “bonded” to each other,” said Cagan.

“But, we also have had older cats who take a liking to some kittens and when that happens, we also try to send those out together as well!”

The Cafe has even had a 17 year old cat named Velvet who found a new home after being rescued from a hoarding situation in a neighboring county. The rescue organization knew of SPCA’s partnership with Orlando Cat Café and asked if SPCA would take her so that they could send her to them. They agreed and she stayed with the Café for about two months before finding her family.

As for kittens coming to the property. Normally, kittens need to be about four months old before they arrive since they need to be old enough to be spayed/neutered.

Orlando’s Cat Café came to be after owner Sandra Cagan saw the last news story of 2014 that NBC Nightly News did was about a Cat Café that opened in New York. She was turning 50 in 2015 and wanted to do something philanthropic as a way to give back to her community.

“They say that when you turn 50 you stop thinking about what you are going to put on your resume and start thinking about what people are going to say at your eulogy .  I couldn’t do anything about the crisis in Syria or Darfur, nor could I do anything about climate change, but with 25 years of property management experience and a lifelong love of cats, I thought this was something that I could do! I started working on the concept in January of 2015 and we opened our doors in September of 2016.”

On October 21st, 2020, the Café reached 1,000th adoptions, which was a HUGE milestone and as of October 21st, 2021 – just a year later – there have been 1,551 cats and kittens who have found their forever home through the Orlando Cat Café.

Orlando’s Cat Café is one of 130 cat cafes nationwide and the first one to open in the State of Florida. To date the Café has welcomed over 90,000 visitors from all over the world!