A pair of Bloomington entrepreneurs wants to serve up coffee with a side of cat companionship.
They're hoping to open the state's first cat cafe by the end of the year. A cat cafe allows people to enjoy refreshments while also enjoying the company of freely roaming felines.
The concept has taken off overseas and the entrepreneurs are confident it will also do well in Bloomington.
'It's a coffee shop meets an adoption center'
You could say Elizabeth Rettig is a bit of a cat lady.
"I adopted my cat two years ago and I've been cat-oriented ever since," Rettig says.
Rettig is so enamored with cats, she's hoping to launch a business in Bloomington that revolves around just that.
City Kitty and Brews could be the first cat cafe in the state. Patrons could grab a cup of coffee or a pastry and also spend some time getting to know a few cats.
"We think Bloomington in particular is a good place for this because Bloomington - home of IU - is also home to 45,000 students who are not allowed to keep pets in their dorms," Rettig says. "So, people who maybe could not keep pets or miss their furry friends at home - a lot of apartment complexes also don't allow pets - we're hoping they're going to come in and get their cat caffeine fix and enjoy what they can't otherwise enjoy."
Rettig is partnering with Bloomington Animal Care and Control to foster five to six cats at a time. All of them will be available for adoption.
Any place we can get our cats out to get more people able to view them, that increase their adoption success.
-Virgil Sauder, Director of Bloomington Animal Care and Control
"Any place we can get our cats out to get more people able to view them, that increases their adoption success," says Director of Animal Care and Control Virgil Sauder.
The shelter never has a shortage of adoptable cats – at any given time there might be as many as 80 cats here looking for a permanent home.
Interacting with the animals at the cafe gives people the chance to get to know them in a less chaotic setting. Sauder says that allows their personalities to shine through.
"The adult cats...really their personality is what sells them," Sauder says. "I mean when you see cute kittens it's easy to get out the door. But the adult cats you really need to look at personality and this is a place where people can do that."
How does a cat cafe work?
The cafe has already cleared several hurdles with the county zoning board and the health department.
Because this is uncharted territory, the Monroe County Health Department has been working closely with the state to make sure everything is up to code.
The business will have to comply with the same state sanitation requirements as all other restaurants.
"One of the sections does address live animals and it does in general prohibit live animals in the retail food establishment in their operational areas," says Krista Clark, director of food protection for the Indiana State Department of Health. "So that would mean that any live animals would have to be in a separate area away from the food preparation and food service."
City Kitty and Brews will keep its cafe area separate from the cat zone. There will also be hand washing stations placed throughout the shop.
The only obstacle left is coming up with funding for the cafe.
Rettig and her business partner have launched a Go Fund Me campaign and are hoping to raise $25,000 so they can open by the end of the year.
Once that happens, they'll lease a building for the business.
"The sky's the limit with what we want to do," Rettig says. "Oh my gosh we have so many good ideas for many events – kitten Saturdays, senior-to-senior outreach programs, box fort building events for kids and cats."
Rettig says it all depends on how much money they raise. The Go Fund Me campaign has generated more than $3,000 for the cafe so far.
