Cat Lovers Rejoice!
Chicago’s City Council has officially passed an ordinance that allows the creation of the Tree House Society’s Cat Café – a space that would allow cat owners to mingle and sip coffee with their feline friends.
The Cat Café will open on the first floor of Tree House’s brand-new, environmentally friendly adoption and education facility. The $7 million center is expected to open this summer, and it’s expected to contain cage-free group cat lodgings, two veterinary clinics, classrooms, an animal food pantry, and adoption areas. The lodgings include “catios” – allowing the animals to go outside.
“Tree House Humane Society has been a great partner to the 50th Ward before it even officially moved to the neighborhood,” said Alderman Debra Silverstein. “Now that their revolutionary new facility and Cat Café is getting ready to open, I look forward to working with them to find new and exciting ways to benefit the community and provide compassionate care to all animals. I will be first in line for a latte and some quality time with the kittens.”
The Cat Café will provide an alternative form of fundraising to rescue and rehabilitate cats in need. The café area itself will allow visitors to mingle with adoptable cats while they enjoy coffee, tea, espresso, and other beverages. You can grab them to go as well.
“We are extremely grateful to Alderman Silverstein and the City Council for making this dream a reality and for paving the way for cat cafés to operate in Chicago,” said Tree House Executive Director Dave de Funiak. “The Tree House Cat Café will provide a unique opportunity for individuals to interact with our rescued, adoptable cats, ultimately helping more animals find their forever homes and enabling us to rescue even more. As an organization, our focus is to create a compassionate community and transform animal welfare in Chicago and across the country, and the Cat Café is one more way we can accomplish this.”
For the dog lovers out there, don’t feel so left out. You’re statistically more likely to have more friends and make more money than cat owners. There may be something to that old cat lady rumor after all.
You can learn more about the Tree House Cat Café at treehouse.org.