Cat lovers can now enjoy a cup of coffee with a feline by their side at the newly opened Cat Town Café in Oakland, Calif.

The café, which opened its doors last week, was founded by Ann Dunn and Adam Myatt to offer a sanctuary for cats as well as a better chance for them to get adopted.

"Our goal is to provide a fun and social environment for adoptable cats (and people), while relieving some pressure and freeing up some much needed space at Oakland Animal Services (Oakland's municipal animal shelter) and bringing a brand new experience to the people of Oakland, and the rest of the Bay Area," the Cat Town Cafe IndieGoGo Campaign page writes.

The non-profit has also partnered with Bay Area retailer Pet Food Express, which helped negotiate a lease and pay the rent.

While Cat Town Café is the first permanent one of its kind in the United States, the idea originated in Taiwan in 1998. Now several more U.S. cities are planning to open cat cafes, including KitTea in San Francisco, Purringtons in Portland, Catfe in Los Angeles and Catco in Denver.

New York also had a pop-up cat café in April and there's now a push for a permanent one. Little Lions founder Erin McShane began a crowdfunding campaign in September with hopes to have the cat café opened in the spring.

"Through our partnership with Anjellicle Cat Rescue, Little Lions will also be dedicated to raising awareness for all the needy cats in New York City as well as helping to create foster opportunities within the community," McShane said in the below video while explaining her initiative.

Tags
Cats