Cafe provides the purr-fect place for coffee in north Brisbane
Do you love cats, cakes and coffee? You can now have all three together at a North Brisbane cafe, where all the cats are available for adoption.
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KATINA Balson is a true crazy cat lady who lives with up to 20 cats at one time and has helped thousands find their purr-fect forever homes.
Miss Balson founded Pussies Galore Rescue 25 years ago and in August 2015 opened the Cat Cuddle Cafe in Red Hill as a way of promoting the rescue and the cats available for adoption.
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Late last year the cafe closed and it has now reopened in new premises at Lutwyche on Brisbane’s north.
All cats in the cafe are available for adoption and all proceeds from food, drink and sales of cat-themed merchandise fund the work of the rescue.
Ms Balson estimates they have rehomed thousands of cats, and about 500 in the past three and a half years.
She said the cafe, which has more than 28,000 Facebook followers, provided a place for people who want to hang out with cats and other cat people.
“You go in there and become part of a family,” she said.
“We’re building a community, I think, for people who love cats, for people who can’t have cats where they live, or who come from overseas and are missing their cats.
“There are people who have five cats of their own and they come in and visit our cats.”
And you can’t just cuddle the cats. The cafe runs regular events — all with cats — bingo, trivia, board games, colouring, origami, yoga, meditation, yarning and creating cat cushions.
But don’t think you can walk in for a coffee and walk out with a cat.
The rescue has a very stringent adoption process, runs an education program and advocates responsible pet ownership, including keeping cats indoors.
“We want to make sure the right cat goes to the right home,” Ms Balson said.
“You have to have a serious commitment to take a kitten, and offer a secure home.
“We do say no. There are quite a lot of people who, on a whim, want to take one home.”
The rescue currently has about 80 cats in foster care, but that number is normally around 100.
“At the rancho — my house — I have up to 20 at any one time,” Ms Balson said.
“There are a couple of palliative care and special needs cats, they are all up for adoption.
“However there are two elderly cats, aged 17 and 19, it wouldn’t be fair to move them so I’ve claimed them as my own.”
The move to Lutwyche was undertaken to address issues with parking and accessibility experienced at the Red Hill site.
The new site is flat, has plenty of parks and ramps.
Pussies Galore Rescue is now a not for profit organisation, with Ms Balson as a director.
There are other cat cafes in Brisbane — Lucky Cat Cafe in Annerley (where resident cats are not up for adoption) and the RSPCA Black Cat Cafe in Wacol (where cats are available for adoption).
The Cat Cuddle Cafe is located at 483 Lutwyche Rd (parking off East St).
Bookings are essential for the cat room. Details: catcuddlecafe.com
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