A cat cafe that opened in Wasilla in late July has helped over half a dozen felines find new homes.
The Alaska Cat Cafe acts as a traditional cafe on one side – where customers can order iced and hot beverages, baked goods and sandwiches. On the other, cats of all ages and sizes mingle with visitors.
Tahlya Rice opened the cafe after visiting one in Hawaii. She said she wanted to bring a similar business back to her hometown.
“I sat down and this one little kitten, Maggie. She was [an] itty bitty cat. And she came over, and she just sat down on my shoulder and fell asleep there. It was the cutest thing in the world to me,” Rice said as kittens jumped across tables around her.
The cafe located on Lucille St. has over 20 cats roaming around from local rescues, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and community members.
The felines are all ages, but the majority are kittens. An hour visit at the cafe costs $15 and it’s open Sunday thru Thursday from 10 to 5 p.m. A half hour visit is $10. The number of guests is limited to 10 at a time and reservations are recommended.
Adoption prices range between $100 and $200 depending on which entity the cat belongs to. The business partnered with a few animal hospitals nearby that provide vaccines and checkups on all new kittens, and discounted spay and neuter services.
The number of feral cats, which is defined as felines that aren’t socialized to people, is growing in the state according to Alaska SPCA, which provides low cost vet services for animals. On social media, a local rescue recently said there’s a “homeless cat crisis” and that shelters are overwhelmed.
Rice said the interactive experience allows people to connect with the cats and see them in a relaxed environment. That experience, she said, increases the chance the animals will find fur-ever homes.
“A lot of the times when cats are in a pound or in a shelter, they're in a small enclosure, they're scared, they're anxious,” she said. “When they're in here, they're roaming freely. They have all this space to themselves. They're relaxed, and it really helps people get to know the actual cat a lot better.”
Rice said she hopes to eventually expand the visiting space.
