Central Florida will soon see another place to relax and spend time with cats. According to Lakeland Now, a new cat café is on the way to the area by way of photojournalist-turned entrepreneur Cindy Skop.
Expect to find Kitty Cat Lounge at 946 E Orange St. In this near-downtown location, the new business will be just east of Lake Mirror. In a 1,600-square-foot building, there will be a café and about a dozen cats. The café facility will be in a separate room that is heated and cooled by separate units to allow those who are allergic to cats to still visit the café without issue.
Skop, in an interview with Lakeland Now, said: “There’s definitely an issue in Polk County where we’re being overrun by strays … so there’s definitely a need.”
Skop, who used her career as a photojournalist to pursue philanthropic ends, has decided to move on to opening the Kitty Cat Lounge, redirecting her philanthropic aim. “I have always wanted to take in strays and either find homes for them or they have become part of my family,” Skop told What Now Orlando in a phone interview.
The cat lounge and café will be featured in the front half of the building, and in the back, the non-profit Saving Paws Rescue of Florida Inc. will operate through volunteers. All cats in the lounge will be adoptable and will be spayed or neutered and vaccinated. Adoption fees will be $75 for a cat one year or older, $100 for a six-month to a year old, and $125 for a three to six-month-old kitten. Adoption fees will go directly to the non-profit organization.
The cats will not be declawed, and there will also be a vetting process for potential adopters. “You can’t come in and say ‘I want this one today’ and leave with this one today… there is typically a follow-up. We want to make sure our kitties are happy and healthy beyond just leaving our lounge,” Skop shared. “There might be a follow-up phone call in a week; there might be a follow-up phone call in a month, or even in a year.”
Have recently acquired the property, Skop expects to complete construction sometime in August, depending on permitting. Expect to enjoy coffee, hot chocolate, tea and smoothies from the café while spending time with the cats.
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