It's time to freak meow-t!
It has been announced that Windsor will be getting their very first cat cafe.
The cafe, called Yay For Strays Cat Cafe, will be set up in the Walkerville area, located at 1326 Ottawa Street, and is expected to open within the next few months.
Chantelle Gaudette, the owner of the cafe, will be partnering with the Windsor/Essex County Humane Society and foster cats in a non-caged environment for individuals to come in and play with, or to adopt.
The cafe will be separated into two sections, the cafe where you can purchase food or beverages, and then a second section called the "cat lounge".
To enter the cat lounge you will be charged an admission fee for every 30 minutes you stay, and a waiver needs to be signed to enter.
Once in the lounge you can play with the cats and hang out, with the option of applying to adopt the cats as well.
Chantelle Gaudette, owner of Yay For Strays Cat Cafe, says the cats will be brought into the cafe from the Humane Society.
"They are cats that are from the local shelter, so they are essentially up for adoption. You can go in and hang out with them, and play with them, and all that, but essentially they're up for adoption. So they are there in a non-caged environment. I'll be working with the Humane Society of Windsor, and basically getting cats from them."
She says the cafe and lounge are two separate rooms.
"You'll walk into the cafe first, get something to eat and drink if you want, pay your admission, sign your waiver, and then you'll go through two doors. In the middle of the doors you'll be asked to wash your hands, one door can't be open while the other door is open just in case you've got a little kitty that's a runner, it'll never get into the cafe."
She adds there will be an option to book an event in the space as well.
"There will be an admission so you can go over for half an hour, or an hour, or 90 minutes, or two hours, or however long you want. Or you can book it and have a birthday party, and we'll have events as well like movie nights and yoga, so you'll be doing yoga with cats all over your mat when you're trying to do your poses."
To apply to adopt a cat and the adoption fee is the same process that you would apply at the Humane Society.
Gaudette says the business is aiming to be open six days a week, with one day dedicated for cat pick-up's for those who have adopted, and to give the new cats in the lounge a chance to get accommodated as they are brought in to the cafe.
A website is in the works at the moment.
-with files from AM800's Dustin Coffman