Frequently Asked Questions
What is a cat cafe?
A cat cafe is a coffeehouse that houses, fosters and cares for cats who need loving homes. The first cat cafe opened in Taiwan 24 years ago in 1998. At the time, the community in Taiwan did not allow for these animals to live in most houses or apartments. Thus, the idea to allow these animals to hang out with humans in a cafe was sparked. The idea traveled around the world and today, the US has “nearly 300 cat cafes” that allow these beautiful animals to be adopted by humans who need their love and cuddles. (Information found at TheCatLife.com and Guinness World Record’s website)​
What's your mission statement?
The mission of The Black Cat Cafe is to fill the souls of humans and felines alike. We are a cat cafe that will bring all forms of love to those who need it: love of coffee, love of pastries, and love of cats. We will provide a safe haven for animals who are in need of their fur-ever home, but also for humans who need a companion. Our slogan is “For the love of cats and coffee.”​
Are you open yet?
No. We are officially an LLC (limited liability company) through the state of Rhode Island and working our way up to opening. The major factors we are working on currently are a location, a rescue and funds.
How can I help?
Great question! Please “like, follow and share” us on all of our social media accounts (located on the home page of our website). Check back for updates on this website. We will keep all of our friends updated with news, next steps and progress as we continue to work hard to pursue our dream. We will also be starting to sell merchandise, including t-shirts, hats, coffee mugs, calendars, and more! Your purchases of our products will help get us that much closer to our goal. And be on the look out for other ways you can help! Just your support is enough!
When do you think you will open?
We are hoping for end-of-summer or early fall 2026.
Will you have events at the cafe?
Yes! We have all sorts of ideas for events including book clubs, paint nights, craft fairs, tea time, yoga, and so much more!
What will your hours be?
Currently we are thinking we will be open from Wednesday-Sunday. Hours are still being discussed.
Why not be open all week?
We believe the cats (and the humans who care for the animals) will need a nice break from the hectic life of a cafe. Taking two days to close the cafe, thoroughly clean the cat room and rest is vital for these animals. If we decide to open up everyday in the future, it will be a decision we make with our rescue and our team members.
Will we be able to take cats home the day we visit?
Unfortunately, no. There will be protocols in place to ensure that the cats are sent to a loving home. If you come into the cafe and find a cat that you adore, we will help you navigate the application process through the rescue that we are working with. We will not be in charge of approving or finalizing the application process; we are merely the middle men to help you visit with the cats.
Are you a non-profit?
No, we are an LLC (limited liability corporation). This was a decision that a lot of cat cafes struggle with. We decided that becoming an LLC would be less pressure on relying on donations from the community and allows us to actually help the rescues we work with. If we were a non-profit, we would need to rely on the rescue and community to provide food, litter, and comfort items. Rescues struggle enough with maintaining enough funds to keep all of their animals vetted, vaccinated and cared for and we don’t want to cause a burden to them. Being an LLC, we are aiming to be able to pay for all the necessary costs without the need of taking from the rescue.
We also decided that the requirements to become a non-profit were going to be a little too difficult for us to be able to meet. We 100% support all the cat cafes that are non-profits and we respect their decisions, however it does not align with our own goals.
So you're making money off of the cats you foster?
Absolutely not. We have found that some cat cafes can get a bad rap for using their cats to make money. This is NOT our goal. We want to make money so that we can best care for these animals. We are your average humans who need to make a livable wage, need to pay our employees and expenses. And on top of that, we have to provide food, litter, toys and comfort items for the animals. Our goal is to help these animals and this is the best way we know how.
What kind of menu items will you have at the cafe?
We will have from-scratch pastries including sweet breads, coffee cakes, scones, cookies, brownies, cupcakes and more. The pastries will be made in-house daily by our resident pastry chef and owner, Liz. We will also have coffees and espresso drinks, teas and mocktails. We will have kid-friendly menu items as well, for example mini muffins and flavored milks.
Have more questions?
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us via email at theblackcatri@gmail.com.