Chicago's First Cat Cafe Benefiting Feline Leukemia Opens In West Rogers Park
CHICAGO (CBS)--Chicago's first cat cafe benefiting feline leukemia is now open, in the West Rogers Park neighborhood.
Tree House Humane Society opened the cat cafe last week at 7225 N. Western Ave., giving customers a chance to enjoy a cup of coffee while meeting with a few feline friends looking for homes.
The Humane Society first proposed the idea to open a cat cafe to the Chicago City Council in 2016, and the shelter was only recently issued the necessary permits.
Spending time with cats is said to be therapeutic, and the mission of the cafe is to connect the public with adoptable cats that need homes.
The $10 entrance fee is good for a half hour in the cafe, and the proceeds support FeLV-positive cats, which means their immune systems are suppressed.
The shelter says FeLV cats are healthy but carry a stigma that puts them at risk of being euthanized when they enter a shelter.
"Programs like the one here at Tree House give other shelters who cannot care for these animals a place to send them to give them a second chance," Tree House staff say. "Putting them front and center in our cafe` gives us the opportunity to speak more about this virus to help destigmatize it in the public eye and give these cats the possibility of a loving home. The more of these cats we can place into homes, the more we can save."
Appointments to visit the cat cafe are booked online. The fee covers a cup of coffee or other beverage.
The cat cafe is open from 12 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.