Ottawa’s first cat café isn’t quite the mirror image of the popular cat café trend sweeping Asia and parts of Europe, but the Purrfect Café is the ideal hub for those seeking the cuddly and calming benefits of animal companionship — at no cost.
The drop-in program on the second floor of a community centre on 331 Cooper St. offers an expansive space with rainbow flags hanging from the ceiling, free coffee, snacks and wifi, several large couches for relaxing or napping and, of course, as many as six cute kittens from the Village Kitten Rescue scurrying around the room.
The snuggly retreat is the brainchild of Kayla Miller, executive director of Pink Triangle Services (PTS), a queer community services group that hosts the café on the third Tuesday of each month from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Unlike traditional cat cafés found in Japan or even Montreal, the program is free, and caters to all sorts of folk, ranging from animal-loving students banned from having pets on residence to those simply in need of a low-key space.
“It’s good to have a program that forces us to stop and be in the moment and enjoy the cats that are here to give people comfort,” said Miller. “If people are having a bad day, they can just come and pet a cat and it does wonders for your mental health.”
There were only three cats visiting on Tuesday — Bobby, Franky and Charlie — but each attracted a mini paparazzi mob that roved and tittered with iPhone cameras, tracking every kitty’s move.
“I don’t feel fulfilled in life unless I’m holding a cat,” said Eleanor Upshall, a self-named “cat whisperer” who sounded only half-joking. Upshall rested on one of the room’s plush couches with her eyes closed as she stroked Franky, a squinting grey and white tabby.
“I deal with a lot of stress, so I come here and then I don’t have any because I just get to pet cats,” she said. “I can meet up with other people and cats, and not have to worry about anything else going on, so it’s my safe haven.”
Most of the kittens range from six months to a year old, and many have special needs. Bobby has no tail, for example, and Charlie is missing part of his tongue. Despite this, several of the animals have already been adopted from the café and Miller said approaching other rescue centres could be an option in the future, although “I don’t want people to mistake us for a cat rescue. We’re a cat café.”
That works just fine with Kat Murley, a 28-year-old private music teacher who said PTS gives her a comfortable space where she can relax and not “have to worry about hiding myself.”
“I have an anxiety disorder, so this is really calming for me,” said Murley, who moved to Ottawa from Prince Edward Island last November. “When I lived in PEI, there wasn’t really much in the way of support like this, so PTS sort of combines the two things that make me happy the most.
“It’s just the experience of sitting quietly and calmly petting them. Just sitting with a warm purring cat on your lap, you can’t really beat that.”
