Oklahoma City will welcome its first cat cafe this spring. don’t stress meowt - Cat Cafe [ed. note: henceforth referred to as “Meowt”] will offer patrons a delicious cup of coffee, tasty snacks, and a chance to meet their new furry best friend.
Adam and Michaela Fitzpatrick love cats, but filling their home with them was filling their home with them wasn’t in the cards. After a silly joke was followed by the kismet of stumbling upon a cat cafe while on vacation in South Beach, Fla., the Fitzpatricks knew they wanted to bring one to Oklahoma.
“It was actually his mom that made a comment and suggested we do it,” Michaela Fitzpatrick said.
“I laughed it off. I’ve got a full-time job and he’s got a full-time job and a side gig job like, yeah, no. Then I find out the next day he’s got a business plan.”
There are cat cafes across the world originating in Asia as far back as the ‘90s, but each is unique in its design. The Fitzpatricks traveled across the states researching and developing their passion project while visiting cat cafes and quickly learned what features they liked and what could be improved. After some struggle to find the right home, they found a space at 1900 Linwood Blvd.
“One thing we’ve gathered from visiting so many cat cafes around the US, some don’t smell good. They’ll have litter boxes spread around and don’t have things separate. You just walk in, and they’ll have a little vestibule to keep the cats from bolting out the door, but that’s about it. The cats are just running everywhere. Those are the worst ones we have found, just because it’s harder to manage and it’s harder to monitor smells. They’ll have hidden litter boxes, but it’s like big plants with a pot and the pot is the litter box. It’s not inconspicuous or sanitary at all.”
Meowt will partner with OKHumane and Safe Haven Animal Rescue to provide loving homes for cats with the highest risk of being euthanized. The foster program will house 15 to 25 cats in a cozy cat lounge, a home-like environment designed to give them a comfortable and enriching temporary home while they await adoption by their forever families. The cats will be adopted through their respective organizations in the same way as a standard adoption.
“It’s like a group foster home setting environment, and that’s what makes us special and unique,” Adam Fitzpatrick said. “Cat adoption is usually like you see photos online and think, ‘Hey, that’s a cute cat, let me go see that one,’ but you don’t get to experience their personality. This concept allows the cats to be free from the stressful environment of a traditional shelter allowing us to bring out their best colors and market them in a unique and special way that increases adoption rates and ultimately saves lives. We’re not going to be all about getting the kittens and cute cats adopted; we’re all about getting all the cats adopted, that includes the seniors, the three-legged ones, the less desirable cats, so to speak.”
A portion of the proceeds from cafe sales will be donated to local animal advocacy groups to help them continue their missions.
“We’re Oklahoma first people,” Adam Fitzpatrick said. “We believe you build your own community. We’re trying to build our own community to help make Oklahoma City a better place. Our tagline is, ‘Community impact togetherness.’ Because that’s the kind of vision and goal we’re trying to achieve with the cat cafe. We’re bringing something awesome to the community, donating back to the community, and kind of building our own little community of cat lovers and friends. It’s an environment where you can come hang out with like-minded individuals or hang out with not like-minded individuals because everybody’s welcome; that’s kind of the environment, vibe, and feel we’re going for.”
Those concerned about the cleanliness of their coffee cup need not worry as the cats will not be permitted in the main cafe area. Instead, visitors will be able to view the cats from the main space and pay a small fee of $15 to enter the cat lounge and interact with the animals. The fee is designed to help cover the costs of the cat’s care, including litter and food. Adam, who designs HVAC systems for large commercial properties, designed the cafe with an intricate ventilation system to prevent unwanted smells and keep each room circulating with fresh air.
“The cats will be free-roaming within the cat lounge,” Michaela Fitzpatrick said. “We’ll have the cafe space, the cat lounge, and the cat privacy room. Those are three different spaces completely separate from each other. The privacy room is the cat’s sanctuary away from humans if they’ve had enough visitation for the day. It’s also where their litter boxes are, so it’s completely separate from the lounge space. You won’t be getting any unwanted smells in any of the rooms.”
The Fitzpatricks are planning to open Meowt in May and are already planning community events and gatherings, and hope to bring a great deal of value to the community.
“We’re gonna have event nights like cat yoga, cat paint night, cat karaoke, cat trivia. You name it, we’re gonna have a night,” Michaela Fitzpatrick said. “You’ll be able to book it for private parties, bachelorette parties, birthday parties, corporate parties, any of those things. And that’s just the basic stuff. We’re also planning to do benefit nights and all different kinds of things where we can be an avenue for greater community impact.”
