Get Your Cat Cuddles and Coffee at the Craft Cat Café
Everyone has seen those movie moments where someone gets home after a long day, they flop onto the couch, coffee in hand, and a cat jumps in their lap, purring furiously and burrowing in for a session of pets and scratches. Ever wished you could experience that, but you just can’t adopt a cat with your current lifestyle or living arrangements? If so, you’ll want to head straight to San Diego County’s Cat and Craft Cat Café in Vista, where all your cat wishes will come true. You’ll think you’re in a movie (or at least dreaming) as you experience the furry fun of a real-life, at-home-style cat encounter, complete with purring and lap jumping in the Café’s Cat Lounge. Add a mug of exceptional craft-brewed coffee or tea and a fresh tasty treat, and you’re ready to relax and enjoy the positive and compassionate community vibe at Cat and Craft Cat Café.
Cat and Craft’s mission is to “Positively impact cat rescue and adoptions through the creation of a fun, safe and loving environment that promotes authentic connections between people and the rescue cats we foster.” This mission comes to life inside the Café—among all the cuteness and calm, the culture at Cat and Craft will start to envelop you, transporting you to your own state of feline zen.
At the Cat and Craft Cat Café, Compassion is their primary corporate value. All the cats living at the Café are being fostered by the employees while being loved on by the customers— and all are available for adoption. They roam freely in the Café’s 800-square-foot lounge area, where there’s not a cage to be found. Customers can pay a fee, enter the lounge with the foster cats, and give them as much love and attention as you (or they) wish for one full hour. The fee for this magical 60-minute escape helps defray the costs of staffing, maintenance of the space, and care of the cats.
Visitors who are minors 7 to 14 years old must be accompanied in the Cat Lounge by their parent or legal guardian. Visitors 15 to 17 years old must have a waiver signed by their parent or legal guardian to enjoy the Cat Lounge unaccompanied. Children 6 years old and younger, including infants/babies, are permitted in the lounge only during specially designated sessions, called Kiddie Cat Hours (see catandcraftcafe.com for full details and requirements for attending these special sessions). Young or old, and whether you’re there to adopt a cat or just get your kitty fix, your patronage is priceless to these cats and the staff at Cat and Craft.
Another core principle at the Café is Connection. The soulful moments experienced between cat and human in the Cat Lounge often result in an immediate connection that ultimately leads to adoption. And if you’re lucky enough to have one of those moments, you’ll be happy to know that each cat available for adoption has been spayed/neutered, is fully vaccinated, has been treated for worms and fleas, has received a feline leukemia test, is microchipped and registered, and has received a comprehensive veterinary exam. The cats come to the Café from The Rescue House, a local, non-profit, volunteer-operated organization based in Encinitas, with adoption centers in various locations across San Diego County. The Rescue House and Cat and Craft work hand in hand to find loving homes for these unwanted, abandoned, homeless, and sometimes abused cats.
The final tenet of Cat and Craft’s commitment to an ethical culture is Community. Together, the staff and customers celebrate their community every day in the Café’s Cat Lounge, as well as at frequent special events held to raise awareness, funds, and hope for potential new homes for all the Café cats. With an array of delicious craft-brewed coffees and teas, plus fresh local pastries, gourmet toast plates, and more, you might be tempted to linger in the Cat Café and nibble for hours. All coffee products are locally sourced from Manzanita Roasting Company in North San Diego County, a testament to the Café’s deep ties to the local community. The goal is to provide a place for people to gather and connect over their love of both a great craft-brewed cup of coffee and these very deserving felines. Check the Cat and Craft Cat Café website at catandcraftcafe.com for a schedule of events. There’s something for everyone, including Paint Nights, Transformational Breathwork® Classes, and many other fun events for the whole family!
A visit to the Cat and Craft Cat Café Cat Lounge is time well spent for both you and the cats, for several reasons. The company of companion animals has been shown to lower blood pressure and reduce anxiety in humans; but, for some people, owning a cat just isn’t feasible, no matter how much they’d like to. A trip to the Cat Lounge offers the benefits of cat companionship, at your convenience, one hour at a time. For the Café cats, socialization in the Cat Lounge improves their emotional health and overall well-being, which increases their chances for adoption. Each time they experience gentle affection from humans in a safe environment, these precious cats slowly learn, a little at a time, how to trust again.
Reservations are recommended if you want to hang out with the Café cats in the Cat Lounge, so book your cat lounge visit online at catandcraftcafe.com to secure your time slot. The Cat and Craft Cat Café is located in Vista Palomar Park at 3211 Business Park Drive, Suite 3B, Vista, CA 92081. Visit the Café every Wednesday to Sunday, from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm.
