Alabama residents are being invited to visit the state’s first cat café to consider giving a feline friend a home during Adopt-A-Cat Month in June. This month also marks the height of “kitten season,” when large litters of kittens are born and often end up in animal shelters.
Gatos and Beans opened in 2019 in the Birmingham neighborhood of Avondale. The late Kellie Steward opened the business after reading about the cat café phenomenon that was emerging in Japan. Since her passing, the cafe says it’s dedicated to continuing Steward’s mission of animal adoptions.
The small company houses numerous cats from Birmingham’s Kitty Kat Haven & Rescue. The cats are vaccinated, microchipped and are up for adoption at the café where guest can grab a latte and relax among feline friends.
“We are a hangout, a hideaway, a place to get away with some animals, and we're an opportunity for cats to find a forever home,” said Jeff Moore, a spokesperson for Gatos and Beans.
Folks wishing to have a drink among the cats at Gatos and Beans can make a reservation on the website of the business. A visit to the iconic cat room is $15 for the hour and comes with a drink from the café.
The famous cat room is made up of cat towers, cat walkways that are mounted to the walls, cat toys and plenty of lounging space for both guests and cats.
To ensure that the cats are happy in an environment such as the cat room, Gatos and Beans works alongside Kitty Kat Haven & Rescue to undergo a temperament test for the felines. Moore said a lot of times, the cats are happier in the café than in a shelter.
“The result of cat cafes in the United States has been the reduction of euthanasia in shelters. It’s such a great outlet for adoptable animals. You're able to see the animal in their best life. It's somewhere between a shelter and home environment, smaller number of animals, kind of more residential and feel, so you can really see the personality of an animal,” said Moore.
As for the future of Gatos and Beans, Moore explained that close friends of his and the late Steward have taken over running the business. He said he believes the operations will remain the same and the mission will still be to carry out animal adoptions and care.
“The cafe is a labor of love for all of us. We want it to continue. Our main goal is to keep it going and fulfill its mission of adopting animals. There are new things on the horizon. Kelly has done yoga with the cats. We would like to do some more programs like that. We've considered a movie night or a game night. We've also are looking at transitioning from a profit business to a nonprofit,” said Moore.
Despite what comes next for the café, Moore said the legacy that Steward created will live on, and Gatos and Beans will continue to be a haven for both animals and people. More about the café can be found here.
