What do you get when you blend cat rescue, coffee, and classic 90s sitcoms?
Smelly Cat Café — a new Chattanooga cafe that’s equal parts heartwarming and hilarious for cat lovers!
Watch this video for the full story:
Friends + Felines = Fun Times
Step into Smelly Cat Café and you’ll feel like you entered the world of Friends.
The name cheekily references Phoebe's quirky “Smelly Cat” song.
Inside, owner Brooklyn Bishop captured the spirit of Central Perk with decor, memorabilia, and cat names like Ross and Rachel.
But Brooklyn had goals beyond channeling her super fandom.
As a former vet, she recognized too many stray cats lacked homes.
She also dreamed of a café blending her passions — sipping coffee, snuggling kittens, and saving cats.
One Woman’s Mission to Help Chattanooga’s Strays
After years in animal rescue, Brooklyn witnessed the overcrowding crisis firsthand.
She created Smelly Cat Café to “do her part” for overlooked local cats.
The café provides vet care, food, shelter, and rehabilitation for strays.
Visitors can donate, adopt, and spend time with the adorable resident kittens while enjoying the Friends ambiance.
The Serious Effects of Cat Overcrowding
The cat overpopulation crisis goes beyond being just an inconvenience. It takes a real toll on cats and humans alike.
For cats, overcrowding means increased disease transmission, malnutrition, and competition for resources.
Unwanted kittens are often euthanized. Even those in shelters face stress from cramped quarters and constant noise.
For communities, more strays lead to public health issues, property damage, and nuisance complaints.
Shelters overflow with cats, requiring more taxpayer-funded services. Euthanasia rates rise.
Responsible breeding, spaying/neutering, and supporting rescue efforts like Smelly Cat Café are key to reducing overcrowding.
Doing our part improves cats' well-being and the health of the overall community!
Providing a Loving Haven for Unwanted Cats
The cat overpopulation in Chattanooga is out of control.
Smelly Cat Café steps up by accepting strays other rescues can’t handle. Brooklyn wants to “turn away no cat” needing help.
The café gets the kitties vetted, vaccinated, and supplied.
They even rehabilitate scared and unsocialized cats until they’re adaptable.
Visitors get the heartwarming experience of watching overlooked cats blossom and find joy.
Where Did Cat Cafes Come From?
Smelly Cat Café joins a growing movement of cat cafes worldwide.
The very first cat cafe opened in Taiwan in 1998 when a cat lover created a coffee shop where stray cats could freely roam.
The concept then spread to Japan in 2004 with Cat Flower Garden cafe. Japan went on to establish numerous cat cafes as a way to provide homes for strays.
In 2011, cat cafes reached Europe, starting with Cafe Neko in Vienna. And the first cat cafe in the Americas opened in Montreal in 2014.
Now there are hundreds of cat cafes globally!
These themed establishments blend feline fun with food and drinks, while also helping homeless cats.
What sets the Smelly Cat Café apart? It brings adds the famous Friends twist!
Join the Movement to Help Local Cats
Smelly Cat Café lets you assist Chattanooga rescues hands-on.
As you play with kittens, you may donate funds for supplies, or adopt a new furry friend.
By supporting Smelly Cat Café, you assist Chattanooga rescues and homeless kitties.
Check their website for hours and more adoption info.
For more cat-related content, read:
Meet Kevin: The Craigslist Cat That Proves Adopting Kittens Is Purrfect
Hope Has 9 Lives: The Survival Story of Di Angelo
Bathing An Adopted Cat: Necessary Or Optional?
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