Starry Night Cat Café in downtown Stevens Point aims to create connections and find cats their forever homes

STEVENS POINT – Starry Night Cat Café showcases adoptable cats in downtown Stevens Point and focuses on connections both between cats and other people.

Lexi Peterson opened Starry Night Cat Café Saturday at The Whiting Place, 1141 Clark St.

Peterson announced last August her plans to open the cat café. Peterson said she loves all of the local coffee shops and wanted to offer afternoon and late-night hours to fill the gaps when the local shops aren’t typically open during the week. To fill that space, the café is open weeknights from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., and the café will also highlight other local coffee shops with their locations and hours. Starry Night features locally-roasted beans from Condor Coffee in Wausau, as well as a variety of other drinks and food.

So far, Peterson said the café has been very busy and she has been touched by and thankful for such an outpouring of community support. As of Tuesday afternoon – the café's third day open – many people filled out applications to adopt, and the first two cats were officially adopted. Peterson said when she first started working toward her dream of opening the café more than two years ago, her goal was to help even one cat find connection, love and safety. Tuesday was the first in hopefully a long line of cats finding just that, and Peterson said it was an emotional day as she watched the first two cats find their homes.

The cat café is truly for everybody. Peterson said the cats are in separate spaces, so the café is still a great and welcoming place for people who don't like cats or are allergic and can't be around them. The menu is also inclusive, covering all kinds of dietary options like vegan, kosher, keto, diabetic and gluten-free.

How does it work?

The café features a separate closed space where guests can play with foster cats and kittens available for adoption through the Humane Society of Portage County.

The café is an official part of the Humane Society of Portage County's foster program, and the humane society determines which cats would do well in the café. About 10 cats can be at Starry Night at a time, but that number could vary depending on the cats, their personalities and how well they get along, Peterson said. The café offers a safe place for the cats to get used to a home-like atmosphere and socialize with other cats and with people. Peterson said the cats get time and space to warm up and to feel safe in the café space, and the atmosphere at the café can help when the cats eventually transition into their forever homes.

After people fill out applications to adopt, the Humane Society of Portage County approves all applications and reaches out to applicants who then visit the humane society to sign the papers and pay the adoption fees. The humane society then connects with Starry Night Cat Café to notify them of the adoption, and then the adopting family can connect with the café to pick up their new cat and to celebrate their "Gotcha Day" with the café.

To space out visitors and to not overwhelm the cats and kittens, people will reserve time slots and purchase tickets for their time in the cat spaces. Currently, people can walk in and sign up for time slots in person, but people will eventually be able to purchase their time slots online, as well. Tickets during the week are $10 for ages 13 years and older and $8 for ages 3 to 12. On weekends, tickets are $12 for ages 13 years and older and $10 for ages 3 to 12. Young children should be appropriately supervised, and staff members will let visitors in the cat area and help them and the cats have the safest and best experience.

On Tuesday afternoon, Peterson was able to connect with the couple who adopted the first cat out of Starry Night Cat Café. They adopted Tug Boat – or Tuggy – who initially took his time adapting to feel safe in Starry Night. Peterson explained to them how she slowly worked with him to make him feel comfortable in the space and gave them a box he felt safe in and on, telling them to take it home with them to help him get used to his new home. It was "Tuggy's box."

Peterson said cats can be more of themselves and ease into their personalities in a less stressful atmosphere in a larger space like they have at Starry Night Cat Café than they would in a humane society setting.

What's on the menu?

In the café area, Starry Night Cat Café offers a menu of coffee, espresso, teas, smoothies, Italian and French sodas, refreshers, French lemonade, kombucha, juice, hot chocolate and more. Drinks can be caffeinated or decaf, and staff can add plant-based caffeine or protein shots to drinks.

Featured drinks highlight Peterson's own cats, including a Hope Mocha, a Sassy Sophie Soda and a Leo Tea. A special flavor combination called Starry Night features blueberry, mojito and lavender flavors and can be mixed into coffees, teas, sodas or any other combination, Peterson said.

Starry Night Cat Café also offers a bakery and sweets menu with items like cake pops, scones, muffins, croissants, cheesecake, cupcakes, cat cookies "meowcarons" and more. Peterson said she plans to expand the food offered, as well.

What inspired Starry Night Cat Café?

Last August, Peterson told the Stevens Point Journal she has been passionate about cats since she was a child, and she's always been an entrepreneur at heart. Her vision was to open a business that could put good into the world. After visiting other cat cafés, like Pawfee Cat Café in Appleton, she was inspired to create a space where she could advocate for shelter cats and help them find their forever homes.

Starry Night Cat Café – inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s “Starry Night” painting – is dedicated to the memory of Peterson's first rescue cat, Hope, who died in September 2022. Peterson said she wanted to help other people experience what she did with Hope.

“Just as Hope brightened my life, our place aims to illuminate the lives of all who enter,” Peterson said. “We hope to carry on Hope’s name by creating connections and finding cats their forever homes.”

Peterson recently worked with artist, Alexandra Sosin, who painted a mural in the café's kitten and adoption room. Peterson posted on the café's Facebook page she was so excited for the opportunity to work with Sosin as a follower of her work. The mural combines the "Starry Night" aesthetic with the image of a cat curled up.

"This mural represents what we want for every cat out there," Peterson wrote in the post. "A forever home where they feel fully loved and safe."

Peterson's vision for the café has officially come to fruition. Peterson said Tuesday she's been amazed by the amount of beautiful, lovely, artistic and passionate souls and the connections already being made. Even being open for just three days, Peterson said she has made such profound connections at the café already. Multiple people have been inspired by the café's theme and purpose and have created art for her that is now displayed at the café.

Starry Night aims to be a welcoming hub in the community

Starry Night Cat Café isn't just about rescuing cats, it's about serving people as well. Peterson said she wants the café to be a welcoming hub in the community, offering a variety of diverse cultural and social activities and events.

The cat portion of the café will host cat-friendly events, like cat meditation, crafts with cats, board games, movie nights and a cat paintings event where cats do the painting.

For the humans, the café will host cat-free events. A listening room will offer an artistic creative space that encourages creativity and connections. Peterson said she wants to encourage collaborations and feature artists, musicians, comics, entrepreneurs, writers and more. There will be events and activities for people of all interests and ages, Peterson said, including board games and book readings for toddlers. Events will include options like pop-up markets to highlight local entrepreneurs, art collaboration activities, yoga and art therapy.

Peterson also wants to help promote other events hosted all over Stevens Point. She said she will offer the wall near the front entrance to feature posters with events throughout the community.

Eventually, Peterson wants to add various specials and promotions at Starry Night Cat Café, including offering monthly and family passes for the cat space.

Starry Night Cat Café is open from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at 1141 Clark St. in Stevens Point. For more information, find Starry Night Cat Café on Facebook or Instagram .

Have you tried boba?: Find this Taiwanese drink at BoBabes Bubble Tea in Stevens Point.

Contact Caitlin at cshuda@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @CaitlinShuda .

This article originally appeared on Stevens Point Journal: Starry Night Cat Café in downtown Stevens Point aims to create connections and find cats their forever homes