For roughly the past three years, Johnson Countians have had the chance to enjoy a dose of caffeine alongside some furry friends.
That’s the idea at Second Cup Cat Café — a space where customers can enjoy time hanging out with adoptable cats while sipping on a complimentary beverage of their choice.
Owner Melissa Kriesler, who also owns nonprofit animal shelter Melissa’s Second Chances, said the concept became a hit among cats and customers alike in its three years in Olathe. So when necessary repairs to the aging building became too costly and it looked like a closure could be on the horizon, Kriesler said it felt heartbreaking.
But now things are looking up.
“We kind of thought we were out of luck, and then things just kind of turned around for us,” Kriesler said. “We’ve very excited.”
After securing a new space in Shawnee closer to the shelter, Second Cup Cat Café will reopen in its new digs in October.
The cat café is coming to 7426 Nieman Road
- The café is moving into a space just off 75th Street and Nieman Road, near Dollar General and the Shawnee Antique Mall.
- Melissa’s Second Chances previously used the space for shelter events.
- Regular hours for the new location are still being finalized, but the Shawnee space will likely be open every day of the week except Wednesday and Thursday.
Second Cup lets customers hang out with cats
At Second Cup, customers can reserve an hour at a time with the café’s 15 to 20 cats.
Their hour comes with a complimentary beverage of choice — coffee, tea, soda, hot cocoa — while they socialize with the cats.
Cat enthusiasts don’t have to be in the market for a new cat to visit the café, but all of the cats there are available for adoption.
“I have people that come in that have somebody in their home who is allergic to cats, or where they’re currently living, they can’t have a cat, but they like cats or they just want to support our mission,” Kriesler said. “Nobody can be mad in a kitty cafe. If you’re having a bad day, go in there and hang out with some kittens, and it will turn your day around.”
The café environment benefits the cats, too
After working in the animal welfare field for 30 years, Kriesler said she noticed that cats faced a lot of difficulty being adopted out of shelters, due to the overstimulation they can face in those spaces.
“I always thought cats are at a disadvantage,” she said. “You’re trying to get to know a cat in a cage. You’re opening the door and trying to pet them, there’s dogs barking and they’re afraid. You can’t really see their personality.”
So Kriesler began to wonder if creating a more calm and less restricting environment for cats could help give them a chance to socialize better with those looking to add a furry friend to their home.
In the past three years, Kriesler said, that theory has proven true. During its time in Olathe, more than 800 cats have been adopted out of Second Cup.
And returns of cats to Melissas’ Second Chances have gone down, too, because in Kriesler’s words “they’re taking home a cat that they already know” after interacting with it at the café.
“The setting works because you can see the cat’s personality,” she said. “For the most part, you come in and the cats are relaxed. They’re comfortable, they’re in somebody’s lap. They’re happy. And you can really see who they are.”
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