“Paws” and Relax at Grover Beach’s New Cat Cafe

                                                   (Photo/Mia Muzzi)
The Caffeinated Cat Cafe opened Dec. 14. 

Sweet Pea, a small black kitten with white fur accents and hypnotic green eyes, arrived at his new home recently. Like many of the other cats, the new routine can get overwhelming for a young kitten, and he spends his time resting in the afternoon sun, eyes closed, occasionally allowing a soft purr to escape from his mouth.

Sweet Pea is just one of the 12 cats Jaime Pierce has currently living under the roof of her cat cafe. Located in Grover Beach, the Caffeinated Cat Cafe was the first of its kind to open in San Luis Obispo County on Dec. 14. All cats are rescued from the Cal Poly Cat Program and the Feline Network of the Central Coast, and after determining their comfortability with humans, the cats are given vaccinations and brought to the cafe.

“Opening the cafe took a lot of talking to local officials just to explain the concept of cat cafes because nobody had heard of them,” Pierce said. “It took a lot of educating to get the business started. There were a lot of ups and downs, but it was all worth it. We made it happen.”

According to its website, the mission of the cafe is to “provide a relaxing, stress-free space for people to engage with cats, with a goal of finding a forever home for every rescued cat that comes to our cafe. Our open-space atmosphere gives every cat a home-like place to live where they are loved, nurtured and socialized while improving the lives of our customers.” 

Open every day except Tuesdays, the cafe accepts online reservations as well as drop-ins. Sessions to hang out with the cats are 25- or 50-minutes long and require an admission fee to help cover the costs of caring for the cats. 

When customers walk through the doors, they are first greeted by Pierce in the cafe section of the building. To their right is an espresso machine, with other baked goods and treats available to enjoy. To their left are merchandise and cat-related trinkets, including stickers, necklaces and mugs. And in between, behind Pierce, lies 17 photographs, taped on the wall. Each photograph features a different adopted cat surrounded by its new family. 

                                                  (Photo/Mia Muzzi)
Butterfly observes other cats play on the structures.    

The cats all live in the next room, with beds, shelves and toys available on every surface. Visitors are asked to remove their shoes and sanitize before playing with the cats to ensure their well-being and that of everyone else. 

“We have a lot of regulations that we make sure both our staff and customers stick to,” Pierce said. “We just want to make sure that everyone can have a positive experience, and that starts with being safe.”

 

Pierce attended Cal Poly and graduated in 2001 with a degree in psychology. After that, she held various positions in customer service and administrative roles. Always having loved cats, she shared much of her time volunteering at the Feline Network of the Central Coast, where she assisted in fostering cats. This was until she discovered a cat cafe while on vacation in Hawaii two years ago. She noted that immediately after the trip, she began planning her own cafe. 

“I just had to,” Pierce said. “I loved it, and there was nothing else like it on the Central Coast. It was exactly what I had always wanted to do.” 

The cafe offers events throughout the week for cat lovers to attend. Crocheting, yoga, jewelry making and storytime are all done side-by-side with these furry creatures, adding to the unique experience.

Caffeinated Cat Cafe employee and local librarian Carol Williams met Pierce in July when fostering cats through the Feline Network. A fellow cat enthusiast, she knew about cat cafes and had always wanted to be involved. After hearing about this idea, she jumped immediately on board. 

                                                                (Photo/Mia Muzzi)
A new arrival to the cafe, Bubbles sits by the window. 

“Jaime’s great because she takes her staff’s different talents and finds a way to showcase that niche talent through events,” Williams said. “I have a background in children librarianship so I do storytime with the kids, and another employee does crotchet, stuff like that.”

The blend of interests and passions is what has made the business so successful so far. Community members want to go, and this is evident in bookings alone. Pierce added that since their opening, every event has been sold out and their social media @thecaffeinatedcatcafe_ca is quickly gaining attention at 4,222 followers on Instagram as of Feb.5. Spreading awareness about the cafe has been an essential part of achieving Peirce’s goal: giving cats like Sweet Pea a forever home.

“Just seeing the adoptions has been so rewarding,” Pierce said. “That was my goal and it’s only been six weeks, and we’ve had 17 adoptions. It’s just amazing, it really is.”