Portland, Ore. is getting a cat café! The first for the Pacific Northwest, Purringtons Cat Lounge is having their grand opening January 24 at 3529 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Portland, Oregon from 12pm to 6pm.
The café is a perfect mix of feline and Portlandia – from eclectic vintage lights to a space-age cat mural on the wall – the space fits Portland and her residents to a tee.
Owners Kristen and Sergio Castillo started planning for Purringtons more than a year ago, when Kristen decided it was time for a career change.
“I was a secretary at a tax office,” Kristen says. “And I couldn’t handle it any more. That’s when I saw a news story about a cat café in Paris. And I knew that was what I wanted to do.”
The Kitties
Like most cat cafés, the kitties inside are all adoptable. Purringtons is partnered with the Cat Adoption Team (CAT) who provides the cats that roam the lounge. The one thing you won’t find here? Kittens.
“We won’t be having any kittens,” Kristen told The I love Cats Site. “They get adopted so quickly. I wanted to take in cats that have been with CAT for a while or are older and may be harder to adopt out normally.”
For opening weekend, Purringtons has nine adoptable cats, all of them stunning: Begonia, Thumbelina, Boo, Gracie, Mystery, Twilight, Susy, Princess Miko, and Tia.
CAT has worked closely with the Castillos to make sure the environment is safe and healthy. It really is like a giant playground for the kitties. Cat tress of all kinds line the walls – with plenty of shelves and cubbies for the cats to climb onto or hide. In addition, the cats have a “kitty door” they can use anytime they need a break from the people – to sleep, eat, or use the litter box.
The couple is passionate about the community and plan on hosting events such as movie nights, ukulele lessons and readings. In addition, they plan on selling cat-themed art from local artists.
The Lounge
You pay $8 for an hour in the lounge with the kitties. You can purchase items in the café next door and take them inside the lounge, just don’t feed the cats!
The menu is perfectly chosen for the Portland crowd, featuring vegan and gluten free options as well as coconut milk for your coffee or tea.
Capacity for the lounge is 20 humans and that’s to make sure the room doesn’t get too crowded to be safe for the kitties that are prowling. Purringtons takes reservations for time in with the kitties and it seems that may be necessary—they are already full for the Sunday after the Grand Opening.
Grand Opening Information
Want to go? Here’s the information you need.
Purringtons Cat Café Grand Opening
Where: 3529 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Portland, Oregon
When: January 25, 2014 12pm to 6pm
Parking: Side streets or a public lot across the street
Important Information: No reservations are being accepted for the Grand Opening. In order to allow more people to experience the cat lounge, times slots on this day will be limited to half hour increments (instead of the usual hour).
About the Author
Based in Wilsonville, Ore., animal lover Kristina N. Lotz is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA). She is the founder of A Fairytail House. In her spare time, she trains and competes in herding, agility, obedience, rally, and conformation with her Shetland Sheepdogs. She smartly married a Veterinary Technician, who helps keep the fur kids happy and healthy, and provides a quick resource for articles.