Cat cafe to 'pawp up' in Windsor

It's a purrfect combination for animal lovers a warm drink, relaxing conversation with friends and a dozen or so cats and kittens periodically stopping by for a head scratch.

Scenes like these have become common in cat cafes across Canada. They have been growing in popularity in recent years, but this will be Windsor's first.

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Being described as a "pawp-up", the cafewill be open for two days onlyand will be held at Moggy's Mission Rescue on Tecumseh Rd E.

"It's a cafeenvironment, as you would expect, except you are surrounded by cats. And in our case they are rescuedand/or adoptable cats," said AmandaScully,program director at Moggy's Mission."We have a lot of cats that were a Christmas present that [people]didn't want anymore."

Scullysaid the cafewill be able to accommodate 30 attendees per hour.

"We'll have everybody set up enjoying hot beveragesand treats. They'll be surrounded by cats playing and cat beds and they'll have toys around. People will be welcome to play some games, read a book, have a fun date with their friends or maybe even a romantic date with a cat on their lap."

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But it's not just going to be a catastrophic free-for-all. There will be rules.

Scullysaid people will get their food and drink in one room, and then move into a more cat friendly area.

"As long as everyone is being respectful of the cats, that's our main goal," she said.

The ultimate goal, however,is to raise awareness to the "adopt, don't shop" mindset that many people have, said Scully.

A fee of $10 per person gets you a bottomless cup of tea or coffee and a snack. All proceeds will go to the rescue animals.

Scullysaidthe event has received quite a bit of attention already. She said they've had thousands of shares on Facebook and they already have people making reservations.

"If all goes well, of course we want to bring it back."