Five felines adopted at Kelowna cat café in its first week of opening
After months of hard work, a Kelowna resident officially opened the doors to her new cat café last week, and it's working — already five cats have found their forever homes through the cafe.
Owner Ashley Karnes, who is passionate about helping animals, admits she’s exhausted, but the warm reception from the community and the many cat adoptions makes the work rewarding.
“A neighbour from down the corridor adopted two cats just days before opening and we’ve already had three more adoptions,” she said. “A couple came in on opening day and fell in love with a cat and did a successful adoption. One cat was picked up this morning, it’s just incredible and makes everything worth it."
The official opening of Catelowna, on Ellis Street in downtown Kelowna, was on Thursday, June 22 and Karnes said it was a full house, so full there wasn’t room for everybody, and the customers continue to pour in.
“We were fully booked before opening and lots of people were coming in, looking for cancellations, phones didn’t stop ringing, everyone was so excited,” she said. “I’m overwhelmed by the amazing support I’m getting.”
READ MORE: TRENDING NOW: Frog’s hunting technique looks like ballet
Catelowna provides the opportunity for customers to interact with the cats in a bright, calm space while enjoying healthy snacks and specialty teas and coffees from a small kitchen. There are a few house rules to make sure the cats don’t get overwhelmed and the customers don’t get scratched.
“You can’t pick up cats or wake them up when they’re sleeping, those are the two big ones,” Karnes said. “We also keep numbers of customers reduced to keep a relaxed environment. It’s lovely to see the customers enjoying the cats and beautiful to see the cats feeling at home.”
READ MORE: BC couple return pricy pooch over owie foot, then sue
There are now 28 adoptable cats living at the café brought in from local shelters in the area. There are lots of hammocks, platforms and climbing poles installed to ensure the cats can hide away. While the café is open seven days per week it will soon be closed on Mondays to give the cats a break.
Karnes said the café is booked solid, sometimes days in advance, so it’s advised people reserve their visit through her website ahead of time. She’s looking forward to a busy summer and hopes to find more homes for more cats.
Catelowna Cat Cafe is located at Suite 201, 1441 Ellis Street in Kelowna across from the downtown bus exchange.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Ainslie or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
