Oakland's Cat Cafe, Cat Town Cafe, Snags a Location

Cat cafes have been the new black across the nation, but while many have managed to raise huge funds on Kickstarter, few have actually scored a space for their dream project (including KitTea, the proposed SF cafe that made national headlines). Not so for Cat Town Cafe, which raised $40K on Indiegogo this winter and has now officially signed a five-year lease in Oakland, in the Auto Row area (2869 Broadway, at 29th St.) and is under construction for a September debut. As previously discussed, the project comes from Ann Dunn, the president of Cat Town (a nonprofit cat rescue organization that works with Oakland Animal Services to save shelter cats from euthanization), and recording engineer/"Cat Man of West Oakland" Adam Myatt.

The plan will be for the cafe to promote cat adoptions, with more confident cats getting the spotlight, and those who can't handle the crowds getting exposure to potential foster or adoptive parents. Either way, they'll be able to enjoy life outside the shelter cage, with a giant play area themed around Oakland landmarks. As with all the American cat cafes in the works, the food and drink area will be cordoned off from the cat play area for sanitary reasons; participants will have to review rules before they head in to play, including not disturbing any sleeping kitties. Dunn and Myatt say they plan to offer coffee, snacks, and tea from East Bay companies; Myatt is currently brushing up his barista skills at Bicycle Coffee, where he's selling "Coffee Cat" shirts to raise funds. We'll keep you posted on the big opening, as well as the future for KitTea and other upcoming Bay Area cat cafes.

· Now Oakland Is Getting a Cat Cafe: Cat Town [~ ESF ~]
· Here Comes KitTea, San Francisco's First Cat Cafe [~ ESF ~]
· Cat Town Cafe [Indiegogo]