Updated 5 hours ago
Coffee, booze and cats.
The Colony Cafe non-stop Thursday in a Strip District, charity cat and cafeteria lovers uninformed coffee, bakery products and cats. About 10 people arrived for a initial “Cat Loft” container during 11 a.m., and a bushy creatures played their part: pouncing, roaming, fibbing around and chasing toys.
“I adore kitties. I’ve only been watchful (for it to open). we unequivocally like their setup,” pronounced Stacie Oliver, 45, of Downtown, who as among a initial to revisit a cafe. She recently adopted a cat, though added, “It’s going to be tough to leave though a cat during some point.”
Pittsburgh’s initial cat cafeteria is nearby a Senator John Heinz History Center and serves as a coffeehouse and lunch mark by day and booze bar by night.
The “Cat Loft” is what separates Colony from other coffeehouses. The room is set detached from a categorical cafeteria on a second building passageway with a potion wall that overlooks a cafe. The cats run a space, entrance and going as they please.
“We’re vehement to offer this to Pittsburgh. Lots of cities are removing cat cafes, and now we can count Pittsburgh among them,” pronounced Sue Hendrickson, who non-stop a cafeteria with her husband, Erik.
To spend time in a cat loft, business need to make a reservation online. The time slots are labelled during $8 per chairman per hour, and those meddlesome contingency pointer a waiver. Children ages 8 and comparison are available though contingency be accompanied by an adult. All a slots for this weekend are booked.
“We wanted to keep a cat-to-human ratio manageable,” Sue Hendrickson said.
All a cats are adoptable. The cafeteria teamed adult with Animals Friends, an animal gratification organisation that provides a cats that reside during a cafeteria until they are adopted. There will be 8 to 12 cats in a loft during any time. The stream organisation includes cats with names like Merlot, Latte, Zinfandel and Asti — coffee- and wine-themed names to go with a cafe. All a cats are spayed or neutered and microchipped.
In some cases, business might leave with cats on a same day, pronounced Christine Bagtas, oldster partner and cat loft manager, though a adoption routine mostly is rubbed by Animal Friends. Bagtas will be a consistent participation in a loft as she answers questions and watches a cats.
The loft lets people get to know a cat before committing to holding it home. The Hendricksons also wanted to guarantee that someone doesn’t make a unreasonable adoption preference after a few eyeglasses of wine.
The integrate recognised a thought of a cafeteria while vital in New York City and saying a recognition of cat cafes there and around a world.
They wanted to start a cat cafeteria business in a new city, though they pronounced that city had to accommodate a few criteria: accessible people, abounding grill scene, informative farrago and walkable neighborhoods. A co-worker of Erik’s suggested Pittsburgh, and after a integrate visited several times, they were sold. They changed here in July.
The Hendricksons live in Shadyside though comparison a Strip District plcae with hopes of capturing an assembly with people entrance into a city for events during a gathering core and other venues.
Colony Cafe is named with a pointed curtsy to cats, though it is about some-more than felines.
“You can come in and have booze and epicurean grilled cheeses and not see a cats,” pronounced Sue Hendrickson.
The cafeteria offers Wisconsin-based Ruby Coffee, a preference of wines and cocktails. The food menu facilities bakery products in a morning, melts and lunch specials and a accumulation of cooking fare. The cafeteria during 1125 Penn Ave. is open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays by Saturdays. Visitors can book one-hour cat loft times from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For some-more information and to report a cat loft visit, go to colonycafepgh.com.
Frank Carnevale is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him during fcarnevale@tribweb.com.