‘Cats, coffee and cuddles’: Cafés featuring felines expand across CT, with another soon to open

As cat cafés grow in popularity across Connecticut, the first cat café in Litchfield County has announced its opening this month in Torrington.

Perk and Paws Cat Café , located at 100 Franklin St., is wrapping up construction in an adjacent space to the Torrington Riverfront apartment building that opened in 2022, according to town planning and zoning documents. The café will occupy around 1,200-square feet of space.

“Soon you’ll be able to step into our cozy café and enjoy a handcrafted coffee drink and freshly baked pastries,” the business said on its website.

The cat café is already drawing plenty of excitement with nearly 500 followers and hundreds of likes on its Facebook page . Dozens of Facebook users have commented on the café’s posts expressing their excitement for its opening.

Perk and Paws Cat Café promises to bring with it some unique features like a dedicated “cat room” where guests can interact with the animals in timed sessions.

“Whether you’re looking for a quick pick-me-up, a relaxing break, or to sign up for a 50-minute play session with our feline friends, Perk and Paws Cat Café has all your needs covered. Cats, coffee and cuddles,” the company says on its website.

Unlike other cafés where cats are often free roaming and able to interact with guests, the owners of Perk and Paws said the cats will be separate from the main dining area. The cats will be in a special “cat room,” while the main area will be a standard café.

“After talking with a lot of the public who love cats and fully support feline rescue but sadly are allergic to interacting with cats, having the separate room gives them an opportunity to come peek in the windows and see them up close, but not too close.” the owners said in a social media comment.

The café’s owners said Perk and Paws will feature a variety of coffee and tea drinks along with several pastry options. The café also announced a partnership with Love for Meow , a cat sanctuary in Harwinton.

The opening of Perk and Paws comes amid a small but growing number of cat cafés in the state, joining Two Wrasslin’ Cats in East Haddam, Mew Haven Cat Café in New Haven and Marcie’s Angels Cat Café in Glastonbury. Often times, cat cafés act as public foster homes for cats, as many of the animals are rescues and socialized to be comfortable around humans.

“We believe that cat cafés are becoming a social need, a mutually beneficial relationship for both cats and humans. For cats who need somewhere to go, we want to provide a safe place for them to lay down their furry heads, where they can meet people who may introduce them to a new loving family and a permanent home,” according to Mew Haven, the state’s first cat café that opened back in 2018. “For humans who seek the warmth of feline companionship, we want to provide a sanctuary away from everyday life, where you can put up your feet and unwind with a cup of java, curious cat eyes peering into yours.”

The concept of cat cafes originated in Taiwan in the 1990s but have since been adopted by many other countries, according to Mew Haven. Cat cafés are popular throughout Asia, where owning a pet is difficult due to small living spaces.

Stephen Underwood can be reached at sunderwood@courant.com