In what might be the most highly anticipated new business of 2016, Madison’s first “cat cafe” opens Monday at 1925 Monroe St.
Part coffee shop and part petting zoo, the Cat Cafe Mad offers customers a chance to play and interact with 15 friendly cats while enjoying coffee, tea or soda, says owner Cheryl Glover. The concept originated in Asia nearly two decades ago, but it has recently started gaining popularity in the U.S.
“We’re really excited and passionate about the idea because we help shelter the cats and provide them a home,” she says. Most of the cats will be permanent residents at the café, but some will be fosters. Glover also plans to have local shelters host adoption events at the cafe.
Patrons pay an entry fee of $10, which includes one self-serve beverage and all the kitty playtime you can handle. Additional drinks are $2. The hours are subject to change, Glover says, but as of now Cat Cafe Mad is open 3 to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 3 to 11 p.m. Thursday and Friday and noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Glover got the idea to open a cat cafe after visiting her daughter, a Ph.D student in archaeology at UW-Madison, when she was living in South Korea on a Fulbright Scholarship.
“When my son and I went to visit, one of the first things she did was take us to a cat cafe,” Glover says. “We had a blast.”
Since Cat Cafe Mad is the first of its kind in Madison, city officials weren’t quite sure how to zone the new business, Glover says. Wisconsin law prohibits it from being a “full cafe,” so Glover compromised by making the drinks self-service and keeping the cats in a separate, gated play area with tables, couches and exercise mats.
As word started to spread about the new business, Glover says she’s received hundreds of emails from people excited to visit the new cafe. Sometimes she has to explain her business to people older than 40, but younger people are usually familiar with the concept — probably thanks to the Internet.
“People are going crazy,” Glover says. “Everybody’s so excited.”
