The Dayton community will soon have it’s very own cat cafe – The Gem City Catfé.
“The goal of Gem City Catfé is to foster positive interactions between cats and people, in an expectation free environment,” Catfé owner Karin Gudal-Johnson said. “Cats are able to avoid being in a shelter, socialize and find families.”
For anyone who isn’t ready to be drinking their coffee amongst felines, the setup is accommodating.
“We will have a cafe space with an espresso bar separated from the cat lounge,” Gudal-Johnson said. “Our cat lounge will be home to 12 feline friends from our rescue partner, the Humane Society of Greater Dayton. We also plan to have a separate event space for activities like Yoga with Cats, Photography Classes, and workshops with local artists.”
WSU student, Jessica Gruber, believes the Catfé will be good for the cat community and her own aesthetic.
“I would love to pet cats and drink coffee. It sounds very aesthetically pleasing,” Gruber said.
Although plans are all falling into place, Gudal-Johnson still isn’t sure when the Catfé will be open to the public.
“Most frequently asked, yet probably the topic we have the least information about. We are hoping this fall,” Gudal-Johnson said. “Our progress has been steady and we’re really happy about that, but we have hit some sluggish parts that have caused delays.”
The people involved in this new Dayton business are excited about creating an impact in the community.
“We have some amazing, brilliant, hard-working, passionate team members and we all have big plans for ending euthanasia of healthy cats in Dayton, as well as working to do our part in improving our community,” Gudal-Johnson said.
Although the Catfé is already staffed, those interested in future opportunities and information are encouraged to sign up for their e-mail list.
