Animal shelters are increasingly looking for ways to get their furry charges into forever homes. Maine's first cat café hopes to fill that niche, offering both no-strings face time with felines and a way for shelters to free up some space at their own locations.
You might have heard about animal cafés on social media. They give people a chance to hang out with an animal, sometimes while enjoying a beverage or snack. Local health codes often won't let you do both at the same time, so customers pay a small fee to enter a separate space to spend time with animals after enjoying a treat.
Business was brisk at the grand opening of the MEow Lounge in Westbrook. Owner Anne Beal, a lifelong cat lover and rescuer, expected a full day of reservations. She hopes they'll lead to a cat or two going to a forever home — even though it's always hard for her to say goodbye.
"My whole life, whenever I'm fostering and give one away it always, you know, tugs at your heartstrings, of course, and (I) cry a little bit," Beal said. "But I always think that you know, you're just giving them a good start."
The cats are provided by partnering shelters that handle the adoption process if a cat gets chosen. Beal says she's aiming to have about a dozen cats at any time.
It might be quicker to visit a shelter in person, but Katie Lisnik, the executive director of the Greater Androscoggin Human Society, says the business' unique model has a major advantage.
"Most people come (into the shelter), knowing they might bring an animal home," Lisnik says. "I think the benefit of the MEow Lounge is people are going without adoption necessarily in mind, but it may sort of sneak up on them when they fall in love with a cat that's there."
The shelters try to pick friendly, charismatic animals that will get along with others. Patsy Murphy, the executive director of the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland, says that gives shelters the chance to make more room for cats, while giving those with good personalities a chance to shine and be adopted quicker.
It's especially important as some shelters are seeing increased numbers of cat surrenders. Lisnik says cat surrenders are up 21% at her shelter so far this year compared to last year. The number of stray cats brought in is up 71%.
The Midcoast Humane animal shelter reported that it saw 616 owner-surrendered cats last year and 324 so far this year. Their marketing and communications manager, Kate Griffith, says the shelter is likely to surpass last year's total by the end of the year.
The reasons for giving up pets vary, but Lisnik said economic and housing challenges are among the most common.
"We're definitely getting a lot brought in because people can't afford them anymore, or there are significant veterinary things that they can't afford," she says.
Brian and Alisha Watson have a few cats already, but the drove all the way from Monmouth to visit. They support the mission of the lounge to help find cats forever homes, but they also just like hanging out.
"You can come in here and hang out for an hour or whatever and not have to worry about getting the trouble of your landlord doing so," Brian Watson says.
The cats seem to enjoy it too — like Wednesday, a black adult female who was content to hang out in a customer's arms for a while, or Michelle, who batted at a ribbon with the Watsons for several minutes. And within a week of the grand opening, Beal says four of the 12 cats had either gone home, or were pending adoption.
The MEow Lounge accepts walk-ins and appointments.
