Cats and coffee to come together for new cafe opening on Fabric Row

How do you take your coffee? Maybe with cream and sugar, but how about with some cats?

Philadelphia’s first ever cat cafe (yes, this is actually thing), is expected to open on Fabric Row later this year, merging together the comforts of a coffee shop with a small adoption center for you to enjoy some time with a selection of feline friends.

No specific location has been named for this cafe, called Kawaii Kitty Cafe, but it’s somewhere on the 700 block of S. 4th Street, “near Red Hook Coffee and down the block from the forthcoming Hungry Pigeon.”

The concept of the cat cafe was first made popular in Japan, with about 80 existing today in Tokyo. Cat cafes are slowly expanding to other cities, including this first-ever one for Philadelphia. This new cafe will have a selection of about 10 adoptable cats from the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society.

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Kawaii’s cafe will be completely sealed off from the cat room, except for one door, she said. A large window will permit people to view the cats from the cafe – and vice-versa.

Among the fur-nishings in the cat room will be a TV.

(Speaking of which. Why not show cat-themed movies? Maybe The Pawshank Redemption. Or Caturday Night Fever. Or Scratch Me If You Can.)

The public will be able to visit the cat room for a $5 donation. Eissler said 80 percent of the visits will be handled by reservation, with the remaining available for walk-ins.

Kawaii Kitty Cafe will be serving La Colombe coffee, along with a selection of bubble teas, frappes and more. The food menu from owner Kristin Eissler’s boyfriend, chef Joe Ronca, will have light food options, including things like strawberry-and-cream milk bread sandwiches.

The cafe is expected to open in late-December or early-January.

You can read more about Kawaii Kitty Cafe on their indiegogo fundraising page, which raised over $20,000 for the cafe’s opening, or on Facebook.

What do you think of this concept?