KITTY CITY. Mr. Kitty's Cat Cafe in downtown Eau Claire is now open for business with adoptable cats ready for some love.

For some cat snuggles and a cup of coffee, Eau Claire’s first cat cafe is now open for business at 502 S Farwell St. Located within a former daytime shelter and church, the building has undergone extensive remodeling and refreshing, and now offers two spaces inside: the cafe and boutique side, fitted with ample seating and more, and the cat lounge. With a soft opening at the end of March, Mr. Kitty’s Cat Cafe officially opened to the public on April 2.

Mr. Kitty’s Cat Cafe offers a large space for patrons to peruse cat-themed merchandise such as cat toys, jewelry, plants, and more. With viewing windows offering a peek into the cat lounge from the cafe side, you don’t have to enter the lounge in order enjoy coffee or hangout in the cat cafe. The interior was renovated with additional outlets, refinished wood flooring, and plumbing, but owner Shelli Schuppel wanted to reuse much of what was already in the church, which included one pocket door (which was turned into tables, now attached in the cafe) and the church’s altar (now part of the cafe’s register counter).

After checking in at the front desk and purchasing a cup of coffee, tea, soda, or another beverage (reservations at the cat cafe include one drink!), you can wash your hands and enter the cat lounge. Drinks may be brought into the lounge, but won’t be served in there. Reservations for the cat lounge – which cost $15 plus tax – last one hour and can be made online, but walk-ins are also allowed if there is space.

The cat lounge will hold anywhere from 10 to 15 cats from the Eau Claire Area Humane Association and are adoptable through them. Anyone who wants to volunteer to care for the cats must do so through ECCHA and select the specific option to volunteer at Mr. Kitty’s.

The lounge has plenty of toys, cat towers, and other climbing apparatus for the cats to enjoy, as well as plenty of seating to sip, chat, and snuggle with cats who are comfortable doing so. You can flip through the ECCHA binder in the lounge, which details each cat: their names, ages, temperaments, and general histories. There are also rooms within the cat lounge that only the cats may enter if they ever need a break or to use a litter box.

Schuppel said the basement of the building will also soon be renovated into a rentable party room, also creating more space for future events she wants to host such as cat movie nights, crafts with cats, and more.

To give the cats time to recharge after visits, Mr. Kitty’s Cat Cafe will be open Tuesday-Saturday from 7am-1pm, will close 1-3pm, and will then open again from 3-7pm.

Learn more about Mr. Kitty’s Cat Cafe (502 S. Farwell St., Eau Claire) and make a cat lounge reservation at mrkittyscatcafe.com • Keep up with the cafe on Facebook