Cat got your coffee? Louisville's 2 cat cafes are open in the Highlands

Bailey Loosemore | Courier Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption Purrfect Day Cat Cafe opens in Louisville The Kentucky Humane Society has partnered with Purrfect Day Cat Cafe to facilitate adoptions of kittens who need a home.

Purrfect Day Cat Cafe opened Aug. 8 in the Highlands.

The cafe has already had more than 650 visitors.

Lucky Cat Cafe and Lounge opened Sept. 5

Stephanie Gravatte spent almost an hour in one of the strangest living rooms she's ever seen.

The room's furniture, itself, was normal. But the dozen or so kittens that were spread throughout, playing and cuddling with adoring customers — that was truly out of the ordinary.

Since it opened Aug. 8, the Purrfect Day Cafe has already drawn more than 650 people to its "living room," located at 1741 Bardstown Road, said owner Chuck Patton.

Background: Louisville's first cat cafe will be the only place you can grab a coffee and adopt a pet

The cafe was fully booked during its first seven days in business, and it conducted more nearly 50 adoptions for the Kentucky Humane Society in that time.

The interest is a testament to how badly Louisvillians apparently wanted a cat cafe.

Animal advocates hope its an interest that's maintained — especially since we're already getting a second one.

On Wednesday, the unaffiliated Lucky Cat Cafe & Lounge opened about half a mile south of Purrfect Day in a renovated home at 2230 Dundee Road.

The nonprofit cafe was founded by "chief feline officer" Karla Spencer and will operate in partnership with Metro Animal Services along with the Shamrock Pet Foundation.

Both cafes will serve as temporary homes for about 15 cats and kittens that have been spayed and neutered and are up for adoption.

The cats are housed within rooms that are separated from the cafe and that use different heating and air systems to keep pet dander away from all food.

Both cafes allow customers to enter the cat area for a $10-to-$12 fee that goes toward taking care of the pets.

The goal of the cafes is to support overwhelmed animal shelters. In July, Louisville Metro Animal Services waived its adoption fees for all shelter pets after hitting its capacity. A press release stated that the no-kill shelter took in more than 7,500 homeless pets in 2017.

"Metro Animal Services really needs a lot of help," Spencer said. "(The cats) spend so much time in shelters waiting to get adopted. We want to help solve that problem. Instead of waiting in a tiny shelter, they can come wait in this house and be petted and loved on until they find a forever home."

Gravatte, while visiting Purrfect Day, said she's volunteered at animal shelters and always felt sad seeing animals that were unable to roam.

Earlier: Humane Society offers emergency pet shelter while it's raining cats and dogs

"This is a very positive environment to see them out of cages, to get to know their personalities," Gravatte said.

Both Purrfect Day and Lucky Cat Cafe will offer on-site adoptions, which take 30 to 45 minutes.

On Aug. 14, Purrfect Day owner Patton said one kitten by the name of Georgie held the record for quickest adoption from the cafe.

He had been there just an hour.

Bailey Loosemore: 502-582-4646; bloosemore@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @bloosemore. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/baileyl.

VISIT A CAT CAFE

Purrfect Day Cafe

Where: 1741 Bardstown Road

When: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday

Cost: $10 weekdays, $12 weekends for 50 minutes in the cat lounge

More info: Make reservations online at purrfectdaycafe.com or by calling 502-916-5051. Customers can book a 50-minute slot at the top of every hour.

Lucky Cat Cafe and Lounge

Where: 2230 Dundee Road

When: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, closed Monday-Tuesday.

Cost: $10 weekdays, $12 weekends for one hour in the cat lounge

More info: Visit facebook.com/LuckyCatCafe502. Donate to the nonprofit at gofundme.com/lucky-cat-cafe-amp-lounge-startup.