WILMINGTON — The Port City is close to having its first “cat cafe.” Its owners are planning a fall grand opening.
In March, owner Delia Valenti Eveland sat down with Port City Daily to talk about her plans for The Scratching Post. It was early in the planning stages; Eveland and her husband Terry had an idea and an Indiegogo account, but they still had a long way to go. At the time Eveland said not many people understood what a cat cafe was.
“(N)ot everyone even knows what a cat café is. I have to tell them, ‘yes, it is a thing.’ And then, when I tell people about it, they said, ‘well, I guess I could put my cat on a leash or something.’ But you don’t bring your cat. You bring yourself to enjoy our cats,” Eveland said.
Eveland envisioned a cozy cafe full of cats which – if they were in the mood – could snuggle or play with customers who were enjoying coffee and light snacks. The cafe would be outfitted with ramps, ladders, sky-ways and sleeping dens to accommodate the varying moods of cats.
Eveland and her husband have made a lot of progress since then, though they’ve faced some hurdles, including dealing with zoning issues. Because cats will live at the cafe, New Hanover County zoning regulations consider the cat cafe to be a kennel and – because most kennels have dogs that bark – kennels are required to be 100 feet away from any residences. One property Eveland looked at was close, 97 feet from a nearby residence.
But Eveland said she just rolled with it.
“We had a lot of zoning issues and, honestly, at this point it was just funny. Three feet. But it’s OK. Ultimately we’ll find the right spot,” Eveland said. “Everything else is ready. We’ve got all our equipment, all the cat ramps, all that, it’s all in storage ready to go. So we’re pretty close.”
Eveland said she and her husband, along with investors, are looking to purchase a location in the midtown area and hope to open in the fall.
“There’s always something, but we think we will probably have a place and be able to open in October,” Eveland said.
Since March, Eveland has been able to get the word out about her cat cafe. At a pop-event on Saturday, crowds braved heavy rain to get a sneak peak of what the Scratching Post will be like. And this time, Eveland didn’t have to explain what a cat cafe was.
“I think the word is out,” Eveland said. “People know what we’re planning to do. It’s great, and we’ve had good turn out. People seem excited.”
At the pop-up, the couple gave away samples of their hot and cold-brew coffee, sourced from Eveland’s native Lake Atitlan, in Guatemala. And, of course, there were cats and kittens present, courtesy of All 4 Cats; the Wilmington cat-rescue group, along with New Hanover County-based animal rescue organization Adopt an Angel, will be providing the adoptable cats for the Scratching Post.
For more information and progress updates on The Scratching Post, you can follow them on Facebook.
Send comments and tips to Benjamin Schachtman at ben@localvoicemedia.com, @pcdben on Twitter, and (910) 538-2001.
