The Internet is filled with cat videos, cat memes and cat pictures. There’s no doubt people go crazy for cats, and soon Denverites will have their own cat cafe — one of the first in the country.

Denver Cat Company at 39th Avenue and Tennyson Street will open its doors Nov. 15 if all goes as planned.

Sana Hamelin’s cat cafe will be like a coffee house or Internet cafe, except there will also be about eight cats in the establishment for people to pet, play with or observe.

Since the cats will be there, Hamelin can serve drip coffee and tea but can’t make any speciality drinks. She can’t prepare any food on site, but she can serve anything that is prepackaged.

Cat cafes started in Taiwan in the late 1990s and exploded in Japan in the mid 2000s. The trend made its way to Europe shortly after and just recently landed in North America. The first such cafe opened in Montreal in late August and one in Los Angeles had a kickstarter opening Oct. 2 in Los Angeles. Others are planned in San Diego, Oakland, Portland, Seattle and New York.

Hamelin, an avid cat lover, thinks her cafe might be the second to open in the United States.

“I’ve been reading about this phenomenon, and it was clearly coming to the U.S.,” she said.

Hamelin said she has never been to a cat cafe, but she plans to visit one in Canada before she opens. She mentioned that many of the cafes in Japan had an hourly rate to hang out with the cats. She’s electing not to do that and will also offer free wireless Internet.

Hamelin is attempting to raise money on her website, denvercatco.com, in hopes of better supporting the business’ launch.

The cats will be supplied by the Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue in Denver and will be available for adoption. Visitors can’t bring their own cats. Lead certified vet technician Keely Schmale said the rescue will be very selective about which cats are taken to the cafe and that no aggressive cats will go.

Schmale added that this will be beneficial for the Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue as it will get the cats better exposure for possible adoption.

“It helps people to see them in a more calm environment and see them outside of (the shelter) environment,” Schmale said.

Hamelin emphasized that the litter boxes will be in the basement or somewhere far from the seating area and there will be no “cat smell.”

In addition to selling coffee, tea and some prepared foods, Hamelin is also looking for some crafts to sell; the cafe will also serve as an art gallery, partnering with the Teller Street Gallery in Wheat Ridge. The gallery will also begin hosting painting nights led by instructors at the cafe called “Arts and Cats.”

“I think it’s cool. I think it’s a good idea,” Teller Street Gallery Owner Mandy Fulton said.

Joe Vaccarelli: 303-954-2396, jvaccarelli@denverpost.com or twitter.com/joe_vacc