What started as a dream became a reality Jan. 1, 2025 when Catzen Coffee hosted its grand opening.

Owner and founder Vanessa Beardsley proposed the idea of creating a cat cafe to her husband, son and friends.

“She wanted to make a cat cafe. So she decided she’d do that,” son of Vanessa Solomon Beardsley said. “The cafe is meant to be a calming space, you can sit and relax and have a conversation with some friends, or just spend some time not thinking about anything … troubling you.”

Solomon Beardsley emphasizes the familial aspects of running the cat cafe. “It’s given [my family] something where we can all in our own ways, with our own different levels of experience and different skills, contribute to building one thing,” he said.

Beardsley works at the cafe and emphasizes the productive environment.

“It’s a nice environment. All the other employees are really helpful. And so whenever you need help with something, they’re willing to be there for you,” he said.

The cafe contains two parts, one being the cafe itself, which serves drinks and pastries, and the other being the living room, which contains various pieces of furniture for lounging, cat toys and the cats themselves. The cats are free to move between the basement and the living room throughout the day.

The Catzen Cafe hosts many weekly events, such as “Low Sensory Wednesdays.” Every Wednesday, there are two reservation blocks at 9:15 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. reserved for a maximum of six people to spend time in the living room with low sensory accommodations. On Thursdays, the cafe hosts “Thursday Night X-Files” where they arrange an “in-order” rewatch of Chris-Carter’s 1993 TV series.

The shop also features many special events like yoga on some Sundays, dedicated to “finding your inner cat.” This activity relaxes customers through guided deep breathing, stretching and chair movement.

Unlike traditional cat cafes, the Catzen Cafe’s cats are not for sale. Beardsley highlights his connection to the cats. “Most of the cats, if not all the cats, have at one point, stayed in our house overnight, usually if we have to take them to the vet in the morning. So I have been with most of the cats in a more personal environment than just in the workplace,” he said.

Catzen Cafe employee Lachlan Gaspard expresses a similar connection to the cats in the cafe. “There’s one cat named Rat. [He] is very outgoing and very extroverted and playful compared to the other cats,” Gaspard said.

Being a passion project of the Beardsley family since New Years, Catzen aims to provide a comforting environment for all.