Image: Tabby’s Catfé

Calling all lovers of catbernet: a cat café featuring adoptable felines is opening in Menomonie this summer!

You may wonder: a cat café? Why are cat cafés so trendy right now? Amber Georgakopoulos – who owns Tabby’s Catfé with Karlyn Davis and Tanya Young – explains, “What makes people happy these days? Cat videos. The cat trend translates to real life, and voila – it’s a cat café! People might not be allowed to have a pet, or their schedules and budgets might make it impossible. People are lonely, and there is something so comforting about interacting with an animal; they don’t judge.”

She continues: “Animals and humans have had a pretty special thing going on for thousands of years – there is so much research regarding the emotional and psychological benefits on both sides, and these days, anything that reduces stress, anxiety, and depression is good in our books!”

The café will open soon at 541 S. Broadway St., which most recently housed a law office. “Downtown Menomonie is great,” Georgakopoulos says. “The environment has been overwhelmingly positive with local support for starting new adventures and adding to the variety of the town we love, and we are hoping that Tabby’s will bring more people to experience what Menomonie has to offer.”

Georgakopoulos adds, “We want a beautiful space with a warm, inviting atmosphere where people can relax and recharge; the kind of place where charming and unexpected stories can happen.”

“Beyond that,” she reveals, “Tabby’s will provide and help to find homes for some of the huge number of displaced cats in the area.”

This is where the Dunn County Humane Association comes in. “The Dunn County Humane Society is a no-kill shelter, so they were really excited to partner up,” she says. “Essentially, Tabby’s will act as a foster location to expand the number of animals that can be cared for. We’ll be working closely with them to make sure that the cats in our care remain happy and healthy.” If you fall in love with a cat at the café, you can adopt it from the Dunn County Humane Association!

Of course, food and drinks will be on the menu. “We’ll offer homemade soups and sandwiches (with some build-your-own options and some rotating specials) along with a curated craft beer list, coffee, and specialty soft drinks,” Georgakopoulos says. “Oooh, and chocolate. And wine!”

Georgakopoulos continues, “Tabby’s will be a great place for students to study, for professionals to pick up a sandwich, or a perfect option for an afternoon beer. … One of our favorite things about cafés is their potential to bring people together. We anticipate a wide range of the types of people who enjoy a stop at a cat café including those who aren’t exactly ‘cat people.’ ”

With cafés come health codes, though. Georgakopoulos says, “The city and the state have both been extremely helpful in terms of figuring out this uncharted territory. Many guidelines come into play to make sure that the food and cats exist in two different dimensions. One part is making sure that food doesn’t go into the cat lounge, and that we have appropriate glassware with lids for those wine and kitty snuggle moments.”

Georgakopoulos concludes, “The short-term goals have been easy to put a finger on – finish the renovations! Make business cards! Open! The long term-goals – we want to provide a happy home for cats, to help them find families. (And) for people who miss their pets or aren’t in a position to have one right now – a place where they can enjoy that feeling of peace, safety, and fun that comes along with animal companionship.”

Tabby’s Catfé will have a grand opening June 19. Visit facebook.com/menomoniecatcafe/ for more information.