Jacksonville, FL — Cat lovers on the First Coast could soon have a new unique place to hang out-- work is underway to bring a 'cat cafe' to St. Augustine.
Angeli Rodriguez says she plans to open the Witty Whisker Cat Cafe later this year and right now, she's working to find the perfect space.
"And we're working with the Planning and Zoning Commission in St. Augustine to work around and make sure we're following all the rules and regulations and getting all the proper permits to get this to happen," explains Rodriguez.
She describes a 'cat cafe' as a new concept to help cats get adopted.
"It's a way of being able to see cats' personalities. Because usually when you go into a cat shelter, they're stuck in little cages and they're, you know, very traumatized and sad, and usually sitting in their own litter boxes. You can't really tell what kind of personality they have," says Rodriguez.
But she says in a 'cat cafe', you have an open area where the cats are free to interact with each other and with people.
"You have your cafe on one side and then you have to go through a set of double doors before you get into the cat area. So you can go into the cafe initially to purchase your drinks and cookies, brownies, and whatever it is that you want to eat, and then you pay a small fee to go into the cat side," says Rodriguez.
Rodriguez says by opening up this cafe in the St. Augustine area, they hope to see support from tourists that come to the area, general foot traffic, and students at nearby Flagler College.
She hopes to be able to set up a partnership with a local rescue to make this a reality.
If you're interested in learning more about the Witty Whisker Cat Cafe, you can click HERE. Rodriguez tells us they're in their fundraising stages right now and would appreciate any support to bring this concept to St. Augustine.
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