Christ Yoder
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Mary Jankowski would have been happy if she could have found new homes for 100 cats in her first year of business at her Coffee Cats cafe in Valley Junction.
Less than a month before her first birthday, however, the owner of the business saw more than 400 cats find families forever.
Last Tuesday, Jankowski said she adopted 421 cats. Four had been adopted that day, she said.
Coffee Cats holds about 12 cats in an open, airy room facing 5th Street in Valley Junction. Cats, ranging in age from seven months to 16 years old, have an array of toys to play with, shelters and perches on which to watch the adoring audience.
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“I think the setting itself really helps a lot because people can hang out in it and look at a cat’s personality and how they get along with other cats and it just gives a little more opportunity. to check things out, ”Jankowski said.
Jankowski charges cat and coffee lovers $ 10 to enter the cat lounge – separate from the cafe – and spend an hour with the cats. Eight people are allowed into the living room at a time – six seats are reserved and two are available for walk-ins.
Her model of providing an open space for cats and clients to get to know each other in a comfortable environment has placed her at the helm of some of the Animal Rescue League‘s other satellite sites, said Stephanie Filer, Director of Development and Operations. communications from the refuge.
“We thought, at the beginning, that was really strong results and that it might go down and it just isn’t,” said Filer. “We sometimes had a hard time keeping it full of cats, which is a big deal in our world.”
Jankowski has partnered with the Animal Rescue League since his idea was just that. Filer said the shelter had helped her find places that would be suitable for cats and now provides her with generally social and sociable felines.
Animal Rescue League staff also taught Jankowski employees about cat behavior and how to conduct adoptions. Anyone who wants to adopt a cat from Coffee Cats can take it home that day from the cafe. Cats are priced at $ 100 for ages six months to seven years and $ 50 for a cat over eight years old.
Coffee Cats does not have kittens in their cat living room, mainly for safety reasons as they can climb too high or get in trouble with older cats. Initially, however, it was originally about not having to replenish cats as often, as kittens are adopted faster than adult cats.
“A 17-year-old cat is a lot harder to adopt than a kitten, but that doesn’t seem to matter in this spot, which is great,” Filer said.
Most cats stay at the cafe for seven to ten days, Jankowski said. A cat stayed two and a half months before finding his forever home – the longest a cat has stayed at a cafe.
No matter how long they stay, however, Jankowski said it’s hard not to buckle up.
“But for the most part I’m so happy that they all find their forever homes and that we can help them do that, it’s just great,” she said.
Jankowski credited COVID-19 with playing a significant role in the consistently high rate of adoptions, saying she had recently seen a slight slowdown.
Filer, however, said the peak of Animal Rescue League adoptions began to decline about three months after the pandemic began, over the summer. She said the shelter is now approaching its 2019 adoption numbers.
“If she thinks it’s exceptional because of COVID-19, I think it’s exceptional, period,” Filer said.
To celebrate the café’s first year of operation, Jankowski and the Animal Rescue League are hosting a week of celebrations that will run from July 27 to August 1. The event will feature adoptions at your price all week long, as well as kittens at the show on July 30 and drink specials, door prizes, and freebies.
Sarah LeBlanc covers the western suburbs for the Registry. Contact her at 515-284-8161 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @sarahkayleblanc
