Photo: Ashley Karnes
A Kelowna woman’s plan to open a new cat cafe is one step closer to becoming reality.
Ashley Karnes has been working to open Catelowna, the Okanagan’s very first cat cafe, for a couple of years, but the dream is finally very close.
“I’ve just hit the ground running, and it’s been go, go, go. I’m very excited, and it’s all going according to plan so far,” Karnes said.
If you think the cat cafe will be a great place to bring your cat and hang out, that’s not quite the plan.
According to Karnes, “Catelowna will be a safe place for an ever-changing crew of adorable, adoptable kitties. It will also be a great place for cat lovers to enjoy a beverage while hanging out in a great space.”
The concept has caught on in cities like Calgary and Vancouver, and Karnes hopes it will prove to be popular here as well.
“Cat cafes are new to Kelowna, but they’ve been a cat-friendly and trendy phenomenon in Asia, Europe and more recently in North America. Now we’re bringing that excitement to Kelowna,” Karnes said.
There was a Kickstarter campaign started in November of this year, but Karnes says she quickly realized she was putting the cart before the horse.
“I am so glad that I withdrew,” Karnes said. She had too much on her plate and wanted to focus on getting the property, as well as all the other things that go into opening a cafe filled with cats in order.
“It was a bit of a gamble to focus on the lease for this property. I had to get my food safety plan. I had to make Interior Health happy. And then I had to get all my ducks in a row for the building permit. Fortunately, it all came through.”
The exact address has not been revealed yet, but it will be located in a second-floor location on Ellis Street, not far from the downtown bus loop.
“The concept is a place where you can come and hang out with rescued and adoptable cats. Even though adoption is not the expectation, it is the desire that we try and help the countless homeless cats in Kelowna find homes.”
“There’ll be a cafe on one side and a big cat lounge on the other side, separated by double doors. People can come in, grab a tea or a coffee and something to eat. They can take that food in with the cat and spend time with the cats.”
Karnes said there will be as many as 25 cats available for adoption at the cafe, and she feels it’s important that people have the opportunity to spend time with a cat before adopting one.
“If somebody wants to adopt, they can match the cat with the human. And how that has worked in other cat cafes is there is less chance of re-surrender, which is a problem that a lot of rescue centres have because people don’t spend enough time with the animals and they don’t have a personality fit,” Karnes said.
If things continue to progress Karnes hopes to open Catelowna this spring. “Things are moving along fast.”
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