SF's First Cat Cafe Ready to Pounce on Hayes Valley

San Francisco's first cat cafe, KitTea, is mere days away from opening in Hayes Valley, leaving cat fanciers' whiskers aquiver throughout the city. In fact, the first batch of kittehs has already been introduced to the space, where they are now awaiting the pets of the masses. Hoodline reports that the feline-flavored cafe plans to officially open its doors June 8, if things go as planned.

The cafe's interactive setup, from co-founders Courtney Hatt and Lisa Tsubouchi, is designed to help cats find permanent homes through a partnership with local nonprofit Give me Shelter. The cafe is organized into two sides, with one side designated as a humans-only tea lounge and the other reserved for human-cat interaction, though each has tables and chairs for enjoying the cafe's offerings. Guests are welcome to take food and drink into the cat lounge, if they so desire, though cats are strictly forbidden from entering the tea lounge (for obvious reasons). The tea lounge will mainly offer a selection of Japanese teas, chosen by partner Oli Oldaker, while snacks will consist of macarons, cookies quiches and other pastries from Native Baking.

The cat lounge also includes plenty of kitty-friendly attractions, including cat beds, toys and, eventually, a wall-mounted track for cats to meander about out of reach. There's also a cats-only VIP area in the back, where cats can retreat for a little peace and quiet when they grow weary of humans and their shenanigans. Visitors will be able to reserve a timeslot for cat lovin', though spaces will be limited to keep the cats from becoming stressed. And for those who just can't get enough cat-time on the calendar, you can sign up to become a volunteer and help out with daily cat care, transporting cats or fostering felines at home.