Maine’s only cat lounge saved more than 250 homeless felines in its first year

WESTBROOK, Maine — A tiny, friendly, black cat with big yellow eyes named Ketchup flitted from one lap to another, melting hearts on Tuesday at the Meow Cat Lounge on Main Street.

“He’s already adopted,” an attendant told the group of lunch goers. “He’s just waiting for his ride home.”

So it goes at Maine’s only cat lounge, which, working with 10 different rescue organizations across the state, has found homes for 274 felines since opening a year ago this month. That works out to nearly six cats a week.

“I think that’s three quarters of a cat a day,” said Lounge founder Anne Beal. “Or something like that.”

The Lounge acts as a public-facing foster home for private rescues and animal shelters. Patrons pay a small fee to hang out with the cats in their large, air conditioned, Wi-Fi equipped lounge, which is also decked out with all manner of cat toys, plus human games and puzzles.

Besides spending quiet time with the kitties, folks can also take part in organized weekly activities like pottery nights, tarot card readings, belly dance lessons and yoga. The half-dozen people at the Lounge at noon on Tuesday were taking part in a daily lunchtime session called Kitty Picnic.

Fees for various public activities at the Lounge hover around the $15 range. The lounge also hosts visits from nursing home residents, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Center for Grieving Children and other community organizations for free. It has an attached gift shop as well, where 30 local artisans sell cat-related items including toys, T-shirts, art and books.

Beal started the Lounge after spending more than 30 years volunteering at various New England animal shelters and rescue organizations. Years ago, when Beal lived in New Haven, Connecticut, she even paid for a recurring newspaper ad seeking unwanted and homeless cats. She currently has 19 of her own cats at home.

Beal said running the lounge for 12 months has been rewarding while also exhausting. She has three part-time employees but rarely gets a day off.

“Shelters and rescues are texting me at 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.,” she said. “We’re not raking in a ton of money here — but that’s OK. I just want to keep the place going.”

The Lounge works with rescue organizations from Aroostook to York Counties, including the Houlton Humane Society , Cat Life Maine in Bangor, Downeast Feral Cat Connections in Ellsworth, the Pixel Fund in Gorham, and Four Legged Freedom Rescue in Kennebunk.

“In the first six weeks that we started using them, we had 12 cats adopted,” said Nina Antonucci, founder of Four Legged Freedom. “Starr, a cat that has been looking for a home for over a year, received multiple applications within the first 48 hours of being at the lounge.”

On Tuesday, Amanda Santamore, her daughter and two friends spent their lunch hour scratching, petting and playing with the 25-or-so Lounge cats. It wasn’t a hard sell.

“I mentioned the Cat Lounge and everyone said, ‘Yes,'” Santamore said.

On their way out, Bella Martin, 12, looked a little disappointed.

“I need a cat but my dad is allergic,” Martin said.

“That’s OK,” Beal replied. “You can come here anytime.”