New cat cafe to set up camp on Cap Hill this summer Coffee, cats, alcoholic beverages – the dream?

Neko Cafe will open for business this summer in a 1,022 square foot space on Pine Street. Neko Cafe will open for business this summer in a 1,022 square foot space on Pine Street. Photo: Photo Courtesy Of Neko Cafe Photo: Photo Courtesy Of Neko Cafe Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close New cat cafe to set up camp on Cap Hill this summer 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

For anyone who likes to grab coffee with feline friends next to a scratch post, keep your eyes out for Neko Cafe, which is slated to open on East Pine Street later this year.

Proprietor Caitlin Unsell was dead set on the hill for a locale, even though it took her a year and multiple realtors tried to steer her elsewhere. She's now landed a lease of an old office space at 519 E. Pine St., near the Raygun Lounge. Pending various contracts – permits, coffee supplier, contractor and shelter partner – Unsell said Neko Cafe could be open by mid-summer.

Though the cafe will keep cats in a separate "Catarium" with large glass walls where the cats will hang out, this is still a cafe for people who love cats.

"We want you to always feel like you're in the presence of cats," Unsell told the Capitol Hill Times. "There's going to be lots of perches so they can always peek out. It will definitely be a cat paradise."

In fact, Unsell says the main reason behind Neko is to get as many cats adopted as possible. The cafe will close early on Mondays, so people can pick up adopted cats and new cafe residents can get acclimated to their surroundings.

The cafe will take a combination of reservations and walk-ins available, since Unsell understands that Cap Hill has a large millennial population who might want to pop in for a bit of after-work de-stressing.

Inspired by her time in Japan (and the many cat cafes she visited while teaching English there) Unsell's goal for this cafe is to be the sort of place you can come for "happy hour after work, a kids party in your very own room or Sunday morning coffee."

That's right: in addition to light nibbles, Neko Cafe will allow visitors to sip on alcoholic beverages while they hang out with feline friends.

"We are going to be an awesome, unique place to pop in after work for a beer and some cat therapy," Unsell said. "At the same time, cat lovers have no age limit so we will be open to all ... Kids can learn a lot by understanding how to respect and play with animals at a young age so we really wanted to include them, and Mom and Dad can sip on a latte or a mimosa. It's a win-win."

If you're having trouble containing your excitement, feel free to kill time on the Neko Cafe website, where their blog has DIYs for your cat, and also just a lot of pictures of cats. By the time they open this summer, Cap Hill could have the best new pre-game stop ever.