LAKELAND, Fla. — You can now get a cat to go with your coffee in Lakeland.
A first of its kind in Polk County, Purrology Cafe allows visitors to order drinks from a barista and then spend some quality time with cats.
“Once they get their beverage or dessert, they can enter the cat lounge where they get to mingle with the cats for an hour,” said Kristina Schuster, Owner of Purrology Café.
The cat cafe just opened to the public Tuesday, and the community feedback has been pawsitive.
“We sold out the first hour,” Schuster said.
Schuster said she always had the heart to help the homeless cat population. The free roaming felines come from TLC PetSnip, a local nonprofit that rescues cats from Polk County Animal Control. According to the county, 146 cats are euthanized every month.
“Cats are typically the number one to get put down. It really comes down to fixing the cats. All cats here are fixed, they are up to date on shots, and they are microchipped, so when they come here, they are ready to be adopted,” Schuster said.
Purrology has already sent four cats out for adoption. It took Tori Herndon just five minutes to find the perfect gift for her 16th birthday.
“He was in this little container thing, and then he got out and started running around, and it was adorable. That’s when I knew I wanted that one,” Herndon said.
Polk County Animal Control has set a goal of becoming no-kill by 2025. In the meantime, Purrology has a goal of its own, to increase trap and release, and decrease the stray cat population.
“You would get them, you would fix them and then you return them to their colony where they came from,” said Schuster.
