Looking to Adopt? A New Cat Cafe is Coming to Rotterdam

Actress and model Rachel Anne knew she wanted to invest in a property, but it was her love of cats that inspired the idea of a cat cafe. Montreal, Canada introduced the first cat cafe in North America back in 2014. A little less than a decade later, cat cafes are now a popular spot globally for young adults and felines alike. These types of places benefit both the animals being put up for adoption and the cafe's customers (blog.ferplast.com). Fortunately for those of us in the Capital Region, a new cat cafe is coming to Rotterdam at the five corners area!

Back in December, Rachel Anne bought the former Bank of America building at 370 Mariaville Road in Rotterdam for $345,000. Her plan now is to split the property into two: 1,430 square feet for the cat cafe/adoption center and roughly 2,700 square feet for another tenant to lease. Having volunteered and fostered with the local nonprofit organization Kitten Angels for nine years, it only made sense to partner with them. The plan is to put about 15 adoptable cats in the cafe to bring awareness to the friendly felines in need of a home. The building process has begun on what is soon to be "The Pretty Paw Lounge", with a projected opening date of May 1, 2023 (Sam Raudens, bizjournals.com).

Take a look at some of the progress they've made in building the cat cafe:

Once the cat cafe is up and running, customers can book 30-60 minute time slots with the cats for a fee, probably in the $15-$25 range according to Rachel Anne. The cat lounge area will be separated from the cafe by large windows (Sam Raudens, bizjournals.com). All adoption fees will go to Kitten Angels, and if you'd like to see more details about their organization you can view their website.

The cafe will be open 5 days a week for visiting the cats, as well as bookable for private events such as children's birthday parties, wine & cheese cocktail hour or yoga nights! -Kitten Angels via Facebook