The Cat Café South Beach opens its doors Friday, November 16, serving up freshly roasted coffee, treats, and cuddly kitties.
The 2,900-square-foot space will offer a good selection of coffee drinks, along with sweet and savory items from local vendors like Honeybee Donuts and Cindy Lou's Cookies.
After you've enjoyed your avocado toast, the fun begins in Purradise. That's the separate,
The bright and cheery shop is run by Celyta Jackson, who noticed a huge number of homeless cats around her Miami Beach condo. After she fostered some kittens, friends suggested she open a cat café. "I started hammering away at the idea two years ago. It turned into a business plan, and now we're opening."
The café is divided into two separate parts. In the food service area, guests can enjoy items like avocado toast
Beverages include iced latte ($3.50 and $5.60), nitro coffee ($4.50 and $8), and the café's signature catnip tea, a hibiscus blend served hot or cold ($3.50).
After you're sated, step into Purradise, a separate space where the cats reside. The beach-themed area is complete with kitty-sized lifeguard stations. To enter Purradise, guests are asked for a minimum donation of $15 for adults and $12 for children aged 10 and under. The donation goes toward the cats' housing, food, and litter. According to Jackson, the café uses about 42 pounds of litter a day.
If you fall in love with a cat, the minimum adoption donation is $75 for one cat or $125 for two. The funds go directly to SoBe Cats Spay and Neuter to help with the expenses of spay/neutering, vaccinations, tests, and microchipping. According to Jackson, it costs about $200 to rescue and vet each cat before they're ready to be adopted. Jackson stresses that the Cat Café is not a pet shop, but a rescue facility. "We are not selling cats and we are not making a profit from them."
The cats are adorable and ready to meet you, starting tomorrow.
The Cat Café South Beach. 1423 Washington Ave., Miami Beach; catcafesobe.com. The café is open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Purradise is open Wednesday to Monday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
