This is the Hissing Feline Podcast, a weekly program that is about everything cats. The Hissing Feline features experts and other cat aficionados who share their knowledge and perspectives about dealing with felines. From strays and ferals to adoption, health, and cat psychology. We hope the topics give you helpful and interesting insight into the world of cats. Now, here is the host of the Hissing Feline, Clark Greer.
SPEAKER_02Imagine having a cup of warm coffee, a tasty snack, and an opportunity to visit with cats all the same location. It's the absolute perfect combination. In fact, I'm sitting in one of these locations right now, and I'm going to tell you about it along with my guest today, and I'll introduce her in just a minute. Across the United States, there are about 300 cat cafes, many of which give patrons a chance to enjoy their favorite cafe amenities while checking out cats from local shelters for adoption. With me on today's podcast is Mary Jenkowski, owner of Iowa's very first cat cafe known as Coffee Cat. It's located in Valley Junction community of West Des Moines. Mary, I am thrilled to have you as a guest today on the podcast.
SPEAKER_00Thank you so much. I'm thrilled to be on the podcast today.
SPEAKER_02The atmosphere is really nice, and we'll talk a little bit about the cat lounge and some more details on that. But yeah, let's let's talk first about the history of cat of coffee cats and uh how you started it and maybe the motivation to start the cafe.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, we um are going to be celebrating our sixth year anniversary at the end of July this year. Uh the idea came to me about eight or nine years ago, I would say. My background is in mental health, and I uh have a private practice and was ready to do something a little bit different, and saw an article about a cat cafe and thought, I love cats, I love coffee, why not? Let's check this out, and uh found out that there were no cat cafes in Iowa. So I just started asking questions, talked to the Animal Rescue League to see if they might be willing to be a partner. And um they were, and I uh the more I checked into things, the more approval I got, and the more I decided this was something I wanted to do.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, cats can be uh very therapeutic. And uh so I'm guessing that's got to be one of the goals here is it's gotta be both cat and human relationships that is that's really gonna help people and the animals.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, we actually opened in the middle of COVID, which was totally not in my business plan. Um, but it was a a safe place for people to come. We cleaned a lot and all the time. People would comment frequently about how relaxing it was. We have calm music playing in there. We remind people that cats are not dogs, they don't, you know, you can't play with them in the same way. It's it's meant to be a calm environment for them.
SPEAKER_02Let's say one of my listeners says, Oh, that's a great idea. I think I'll start a cat cafe. There's a whole lot more to it than just the desire. There's actually a lot of regulation and and rules, and uh not just the rules here if you're gonna go in the lounge, but also there's state regulations. Those what types of things would people likely encounter as far as some of the requirements to start a cat cafe?
SPEAKER_00Sure. Uh the first thing you have to do is talk with the State of Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals. Uh, we were sort of the guinea pig. Uh they came up with um a list of items that we had to meet in terms of safety for both the people and the cats. Um we had to um the uh Iowa Department of Agriculture ha comes in uh too because there are animals here, so they have to make sure they're safe. We had to talk to the city of West Des Moines regarding zoning, um just a lot of of entities and and regulations um that we had to make sure that we met.
SPEAKER_02And I'm guessing uh you're in Iowa, but uh I would imagine most other states are probably gonna have very similar regulations. That would be things people could check into in their particular state or or maybe ask a a specific department of in their state.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely, yeah. I I know I visited cat cafes in several different states, and all of them were the same as mine. There has to be a physical separation between the cats and the cafe. I don't think it's the same thing in all states, but I think it is in most states.
SPEAKER_02Your cats are all adoptable here at the at the cafe, and they come from the Animal Rescue League of the United States. Yes, they do. Uh in Des Moines.
SPEAKER_00Yes. We um early on asked if I could partner with them. They were thrilled. It would take uh 12 more cats out of the shelter and put them in uh another location with people being able to come in and visit them, uh check out their temperament or personality, um, be able to spend more time with them than they might be able to at um the ARL, and it's worked out very, very well.
SPEAKER_02Now, one of the things, and I'm enjoying a cup of your locally sourced coffee here. I have to admit I'm I'm a coffee holic and I had to try, and the coffee is very good. Uh talk about the drinks and snacks because I know everything comes from uh the area here or the state.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it does. Uh we get our coffee from Grounds for Celebration, which is a local coffee shop and roaster. Um my pastries come from um a gal in Indianola, Lana, and we also use some of the pastries from the Highland Park Cafe. Uh we have New World Kitchen, which is a vegan vegetarian um place. It used to be a uh a brick and mortar shop, but now she's just doing delivery or ordering online delicious food. Uh, and then all of the artists and uh vendors that I have in the business are all local people and do their own handmade, homemade items.
SPEAKER_02The food items that you sell here, and I'm guessing obviously cat cafes, they're probably gonna have some amenities that people will be able to get coffee drinks and snacks and those types of things. So it's actually it's a very important part of how the cafe works that people can do that. Uh, but there's also the regulations about cats in this state in Iowa being at a different type of location. How does the cafe work here?
SPEAKER_00Well, we had to have two doorways in between the cat cafe and the um, or the excuse me, the cat lounge and the cafe. Um we have to have a hand washing station in between the two so that if employees are coming out and coming into the cafe area, they have to wash their hands in that sink. So um they just wanted to make sure that everybody felt safe. We also have people who are allergic to cats, but have family members who want to go in and see the cats, and I mean hopefully you can tell this is a fur-free uh cafe. Uh the cat lounge, not so much, but uh the cafe we we do a good job of keep keeping it clean.
SPEAKER_02Do you have some special structures or the design of the lounge part to allow cats to be cats and sleep or climb?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, we sure do. Um I worked with um Carol from the Animal Rescue League and uh my the Finnish carpenter, and we decided where all of the shelving was gonna go. We just wanted to make sure that the cats had an escape route whichever direction they went. There are high spots if they don't want to see anybody. We've got some little hidey cubbyhole spaces that if they're not quite comfortable when they first come in, they can hide if they want to do that.
SPEAKER_02How about what visitors can expect when they come to a cafe? My wife, who's my producer and I, it was a couple of years ago in a different different state, we went to a cat cafe, never been before. And uh a lot of the cats were pretty energetic and rubbing against people. What what can people expect when they go to the lounge?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you know, in the morning, um cats are very active. Uh they love seeing people come in. I'm I'm usually the first one in the door, and they get greeted sometimes by all 12 or at least half of them. Um so they're ready for attention, they're pretty busy in the morning, and then you know, cats sleep on average anywhere between 16 and 18 hours a day. So in the afternoon they're gonna be a little sleepy, they're gonna find a place to lay down, and sometimes they're out in the open, and it's fine if you want to pet them, but other times they'll let you know by a switch of a tail or a little bit of a hiss that you know this is my sleeping time, please leave me alone. And then in the afternoons and evenings, they're again a little bit more busy, so there will be a lot of interaction between people and cats.
SPEAKER_02And that and that's what's fun, and actually, uh, it's not a bad thing having a little cat lounge. Absolutely. You know, people love cats. I'm guessing that most of the people that are here might be looking for an opportunity to adopt a cat. Like how how many people actually adopt cats that come through here?
SPEAKER_00So we are um I think we're at about 2,045 cats that we've adopted in almost six years.
SPEAKER_02Wow, that's a lot of cats.
SPEAKER_00It is a lot of cats. I it's many more than I expected, but it's so wonderful to see people come in the cat lounge, and sometimes they're they are specifically looking for a cat, and other times they have no intention at all of adopting a cat and they walk out with one because they've been chosen, or uh they feel like this is the cat that was meant for them.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that that happens with cats, and I've I've seen online that referred to as uh the cat world that people get adopted into the cat world because they have no plans of getting a feline, and here they are they're adopting a kitten, or we'll we'll see a picture of somebody who said, I never want a cat, and then you'll see the kitten going to sleep on the person's chest or something.
SPEAKER_00That happens all the time. And you know, is even when there are people in the cat lounge and a cat will jump up on somebody's lap who you doesn't necessarily think of themselves as a cat person, and then we also hear stories about when they get home, you know, the person who didn't want the cat ends up being the one that the cat lays on their lap or wants to spend the most time with them.
SPEAKER_02It seems like cats are that way, they must sense when I've that's that person is a project. And uh and I'm going to, and again, I'm gonna love that person and snuggle with that person until they become a cat person. And uh that's not exactly what happened to us, but we'd always talked about let's get a little dog, and then we adopted a cat because some friends had a in a bush in front of their house. A mother cat had kittens, and my friend called me. We worked in the same organization, he called me one day and said, uh, here's the situation, and I asked my wife, and she said, Oh, let's go look at the cat. Just like that, we're hooked on cats. And I we got the kitten, and she was a kind of an honorary little thing, but that became our life, and that's kind of why I do the podcast and these things and meet wonderful people like you that have the same love for cats.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I I have a few of my own at home, and um one of them is 21 years old, and I also have one that uh my husband and I rescued when he was five weeks old, and now he's the biggest giant orange cat. Does it happen that way over the world? The little runs that throw up to be these huge cats, yes.
SPEAKER_02What type of reaction do first-time visitors to coffee cats have when they when they come to the store? Maybe it's the first time they've ever been to a cat cafe.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you know, it's funny because I sometimes I'll see people walking down the street and they'll they'll look like a double take or a triple take. Is that really a cat in there? And oh my gosh, it is, and and they come in and check it out. So a lot of times it's a it's a very surprising, oh my gosh, I can't believe you have cats in a store here. And then other times people come in and they're like, oh my gosh, this feels so comfortable, and that was my whole goal. I wanted it to be a very comfortable place for people to hang out, whether they wanted to spend time with the cats or not. Um, you know, we have a regular coffee shop, um, and it's it's a great place to hang out and have conversations and meet people, and we've seen people on dates here that have met for the first time. So um there's a lot of different reactions, but most of the time it's very positive.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, very nice. I uh when you were talking about people being surprised with things, uh recently a uh a friend, I'm in a musical organization and uh and uh another person in the group uh said uh so how's your how's your day? And I said, Well, it's pretty busy because I'm I've got a podcast, I do some interviews. She says, What is it about cats? She says, I love cats, I have two cats. That is not the first person that I've connected with that. And and to see people's expressions uh when they realize there's a fellow cat person, I think is really important.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's so that's so cool. We and we have people that come in here who can't have cats because of the apartment or whatever situation they live in. We also have people that have six cats of their own at home and they just love cats and they want to come spend some more time with them.
SPEAKER_02You're listening to the Hissing Feline podcast. I'm your host, Clark Greer. Today's guest is Mary Jankowski, owner of Coffee Cats Cat Cafe in West Des Moines. After the break, I'll be back to chat with Mary about the benefits of cat cafes to human cats and special cat-related activities at Coffee Cats. Stay with us.
SPEAKER_01The young couple were dyed in the wool dog people who dreamed of someday having a faithful mutt. Cats were not even on their list. That was until they adopted a timid gray tabby they named Sadie. The cuteness quickly turned into reality when Sadie took charge of the house. The good news was that on her best days, the cat was only slightly difficult. Yet, over two decades, Sadie became a beloved part of the family. The Striped Tornado, Life and Times of a Rotten Cat, is Sadie's story, a memoir that will inspire readers to rise above their challenges, to find companionship and love in the most unlikely places. The Striped Tornado, available on Amazon.
SPEAKER_02You're listening to the Hissing Feline podcast. I'm your host, Clark Greer, with today's guest, Mary Jankowski, owner of Coffee Cats Cafe in West Des Moines, Iowa. There are benefits, and we were talking about some of those a little bit earlier. How can cats best benefit from this type of contact with humans when maybe at the shelter, obviously they're going to get some, but I think in a cat cafe it's a little more limited as far as how many cats uh and it gives an opportunity for the cats to have some interaction.
SPEAKER_00Right. We are um we're limited to 12 total cats in the cat lounge, and that's just based on our square footage. But when people come in, um the interactions that they have are, you know, kids want to play with them typically, adults want to know if there's a lap cat that'll come and sit on their lap. Um other people um enjoy just sitting down and reading a book, and if a cat happens to jump in their lap, that's perfectly fine. If not, that's okay too. So it's really become kind of a quiet atmosphere for people to just enjoy and have uh a good time. And I think it's great for the cats. You know, a lot of them are strays or they've come from maybe a hoarding situation or um from an owner's surrender and they haven't gotten the socialization that maybe they've needed. And so not only are they getting socialized with people but with other cats as well.
SPEAKER_02Now the cat cafe is not just a cafe with a cat lounge. You have a lot of special events and things that people can become involved in. One of them is yoga with cats. How does that work?
SPEAKER_00So we uh the yoga instructor, and we're we're uh actually on a little bit of a hold with our our yoga uh program because uh our instructor is on maternity leave. Um but they we set up the cat room, we push as much furniture to the side as we possibly can, and um we have the individual up front in the cat room, and we have about anywhere from six to eight people who put their mats down and uh can do yoga in there. Um oftentimes I see the cats helping out a lot um with yoga, either showing people how to do a stretch or getting underneath them when they're doing a stretch. And sometimes um yoga class is sitting and petting a cat, and sometimes it's enjoying yoga with cats.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, cats are really good at stretching. And I guess that's actually good for humans too. I mean, to stretch your muscles and uh you know loosen up and those types of things. It's really it sounds like a fun activity. I bet you people really like it here, don't they?
SPEAKER_00They do, yeah. It's a it's a great environment, and it's again it's quiet, but yet they get the interaction with the cats.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. You have an activity and it involves reading with cats, and it's almost like there's something for the whole family here, and that's that's an instance where uh children becoming can become involved in those types of things.
SPEAKER_00Right. Um it was just something I wanted to do over the summertime. You know, my um my I have a daughter who's 33 years old, but she's on the autism spectrum, and so when during the summertime, you know, a lot of times she would like back a little bit because there wasn't the structure of the school, and so I thought, wouldn't it be a good idea just to have people for an hour come in and it's just a quiet hour and they can just sit and read to the cats. They're they're mostly napping anyway, and it gives the kids practice with their reading skills. Um we see people like I said, we have adults that come in with books as well. Um, but it's really sweet to look and see a little child reading from a book and the cat is either watching them or just sleeping as they read.
SPEAKER_02I guess that's a good way of uh communicating cats and love of cats to younger generations too.
SPEAKER_00Yes, yes. Um younger people, I you know, we had a little baby in there the other day, a little toddler, and I think she liked putting her feet in the cat bowl water more than anything else, but um, you know, sh they also love touching the cats and just exploring some pe kids have never been introduced to to pets or cats at all, so they're a little bit scared, and and this is a great place for them to to maybe overcome that fear or at least to be introduced to the cats.
SPEAKER_02And and to learn how to care for animals. I know that uh in years past that was very important, like on farms, and kids growing up would learn how to care for the larger animals, and uh I think it could go very well with with animals today. And obviously cats are cats are one thing because people can learn about how to handle cats and especially if they're children.
SPEAKER_00Right.
SPEAKER_02Uh another activity you have here is cat bingo. Now I'm guessing the cats don't play the bingo.
SPEAKER_00The cats, well, they no, they don't play the bingo, but they enjoy the little pieces of the of the bingo game. Sure they do. Um it's really a fun activity. We do it in the wintertime uh on Thursday nights when um May rolls around, that's when farmer's market starts. And so uh we just don't want to have both activities going at the same time. But we just have yeah, we have a bingo collar, um, we have cat bingo cards, um, we have cat trivia that we share with people as we're doing the game. Um they win small prizes um for winning the cat bingo game. Um we can do up to 15 people in the cat lounge, so it's been a very popular event.
SPEAKER_02Uh if someone is interested in coffee cats, because let's say they live in the Des Moines, Greater Des Moines area, uh what's the best way of finding out more about the cafe?
SPEAKER_00Uh we have a website that they can go to, um, coffeecatscafe.com, and it gives information about uh the cafe, and we have a lot of frequently asked questions that we've posted on there as well. And then we also have a Facebook page that I have a wonderful social media manager, and she takes care of that for me. Um we post a calendar every week and every month about the activities that we're doing. Um, if we're involved in any other activities, uh we um gave coffee away at the kitten shower at the Animal Rescue League last weekend. Oh yeah, yeah. That was recent on it. Yeah, it was uh adorable. And um so uh and we also uh post pictures of the current cats that we have in the lounge, so we're trying to keep people updated as to who's here. And you can always just give us a call. We're happy to answer any questions that you have.
SPEAKER_02This has been a wonderful half hour visiting with you, Mary, and uh learning more about how the cafe works as well as actually going beyond having a cafe, but uh helping with the cats and and and keeping them active. Uh Mary Jankowski, owner of Coffee Cat's Cat Cafe in West Des Moines, Iowa. Thank you so much for being on the show.
SPEAKER_00You're welcome. Thank you.
SPEAKER_02Please tell your friends about the Hissing Feline podcast and leave a review of the show where you listen to this program. Also, drop me a note about program topics you want to hear and questions you might have about cat topics that I will share with future guests. The podcast's email address is the HissingFeline at DurachoCatmedia.com. Derecho is spelled D-E-R-E-C-H O. On the next episode of the Hissing Feline, the podcast will focus on feline pain, how to recognize it in your cat, and treatments. Until then, remember to keep purring.
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