Courtney Hatt is the proud mother of four cats: Bill Purray, Poodle, Grandma Cat, and Shadow. Feeling burnt out from sitting in front of a computer during her five year stint in the tech industry, she began suffering from panic attacks and anxiety. She realized she needed to make some changes in her life and pursue some of her own passions.
Courtney decided to bring together her two favorite things: animals and tea. At the time, cat cafes were big in Asia but hadn't yet been introduced in the United States. A pioneer, Courtney began her journey. With KitTea Cat Cafe, the first cat cafe in the USA, she endeavored to save cats and humans alike. She would help cats get adopted and help humans by offering them a retreat from a busy and stressful reality.
About the cafe:
KitTea Cat Cafe's space is unique. The Tea Lounge offers a full menu with organic, locally-sourced food in addition to high-quality Japanese tea from a small farm in Kyoto, Japan. The cafe's wide variety of items (with vegan and gluten-free options) includes homemade Belgian waffles, bubble waffle wraps, paninis, salads, pastries, and more! Inside the Tea Lounge, guests are welcome to use the free “Meow-Fi” to get some work done or simply enjoy delicious food and drinks while watching the kitties play in the Cat Lounge through a large viewing window. It’s the perfect space for cat lovers with allergies!
In addition to the cat-tastic Tea Lounge, the Cat Lounge is home to 10+ permanent resident kitties and a handful of featured adoptable cats. Whether you’re looking to adopt a new friend or not, the kitties provide a 100% zen experience. It’s as relaxing as going to a spa, but also a social environment where friends, cats, couples, and strangers can freely interact and care for each other.
If you'd like to spend time with the kitties, it's highly recommended to book an advanced reservation for the Cat Lounge. Standard 1-hour Cat Lounge reservations include bottomless refills of premium Japanese green teas.
While the Tea Lounge is "cat-free," it looks into the Cat Lounge through its huge viewing window and has both cafe-style seating and marble bar seating for up to 15 people. The Tea Lounge is also free and open to the public with first-come, first-served seating - no reservations necessary.
How to visit:
A typical Cat Lounge visitor would come in a few minutes before their scheduled appointment time, peruse the curated gift shop, and start sipping on the delicious bottomless Japanese green tea included in the visit. Once it’s time to enter the Cat Lounge, guests are greeted by their Cat Wrangler and given a few instructions before they play and enjoy their hour with all of the kitties.
Many customers feel warmed by the fact that spending an hour with cats really improves their quality of life. At times, we can all feel caged and anxious; at KitTea Cat Cafe, cats and humans alike have the space to care for each other, offer love and support, and simply coexist in a quiet and relaxing place.
KitTea will expand to other parts of California and hopefully the rest of the country. Every city deserves a clean, peaceful, communal space where people can spend time with adoptable cats and potentially other animals that are in need of help and rescue. The goal is not only to save lives, but also help nurture empathy.
How you can help:
Cats need love, care, and attention, so simply scheduling a visit to the Cat Lounge can be as helpful for the cats as it is for their human counterparts. The cafe also has an Amazon Wishlist which displays some items that would really help.
If you’d like to treat yourself while helping the cafe out, too, then peruse KitTea's online gift shop, where every item purchased helps the cafe's cats!
If you want to spread the love, you can support the cafe's partnered rescue: Wonder Cat Rescue. Wonder Cat Rescue is a non-profit partner rescue for adoptable kitties and they are always grateful for any support WCR is a small, dedicated team of volunteers who have saved numerous rescue kittens and cats over the last 10+ years!
KitTea's hours of operation depend on the day of the week. Please check the website for more info.
