The Cat's Meow Café: Help Us Reach The Finish Line
Donation protected
Hello, my name is Elizabeth Gallardo and in 2017 I embarked on the journey to open the City of Miami's First Cat Café. It's been a crazy rollercoaster filled with successes and setbacks but thankfully we are almost at the finish line!
At The Cat’s Meow Café, our objective is to provide a temporary home to rescued cats. This will be especially important during Kitten Season in Spring and Summer: the time of year when litters of kittens arrive in overwhelming numbers. Our café’s ability to temporarily house cats will give those pets that have been abandoned, surrendered, or lost the opportunity to bond with our guests and find their forever home.
Through this experience, we hope to create a stronger bond between the adopter and the cat. Our greatest desire is to inspire our guests to adopt a new family member. Together with Miami-Dade Animal Services, we aim to reduce the number of abandoned and homeless cats in our community.
Not familiar with the Cat Café concept?
A Cat Café is an environment where you can relax, indulge in yummy vegan pastries and/or a beverage while cuddling with cats! The best part, you ask? All cats locally rescued and are up for adoption! The retail café and the cat lounge are separated by a partition wall for no cross-contamination. Our guests will get to interact with several cats at once, allowing them to connect with unique cat personalities.
Our 2-year journey included lots of research, meeting and receiving guidance from other cat café owners around the nation, signing the lease to our unit on 7541 Biscayne Blvd, many meetings with City of Miami's Zoning Department for clearance on our business model, growing our network and credibility, launched a successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign that helped us cover architectural designs and initial permitting fees, community events, rescuing and fostering kittens, participating in TNR projects, and hosting our first-ever Pop-Up event with a Silent Auction, Cat Talks, and Kitten Yoga.
Pop-Up Cat Café
Retail Café View
Cat Lounge View
During our build-out process, we encountered a few unforeseen setbacks that have caused us some costly delays. The "as-built" plans that we were provided did not match the physical plumbing lines that were already laid out underground. This correction set us back an additional $7,825 plus $470 in plumbing exploratory work, adding to our already 100k+ build-out, which then delayed us by another month. Thankfully, our landlord has been gracious and patient with us but we are cutting it close to the wire now.
During this time of giving, I wanted to reach out and humbly as for your help. Opening a business has been my most difficult challenge to date and my passion for giving cats that have been abandoned, surrendered or lost the opportunity to find their forever home is what keeps me going strong. We've invested all our savings and taken out loans to cover all the construction and start-up costs. This set back has really thrown a wrench into our budget, especially now as we prepare to complete equipment purchases and final permitting fees.
Please consider contributing any amount to this fund or by purchasing an item from our online store at https://www.catsmeowmia.com/shop. This is our last stretch before we open The Cat's Meow Café in Miami and we are so close! Every dollar counts, if you are unable to give, please share with those you know.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
- Elizabeth Gallardo
#SmallBusinessRelief
At The Cat’s Meow Café, our objective is to provide a temporary home to rescued cats. This will be especially important during Kitten Season in Spring and Summer: the time of year when litters of kittens arrive in overwhelming numbers. Our café’s ability to temporarily house cats will give those pets that have been abandoned, surrendered, or lost the opportunity to bond with our guests and find their forever home.
Through this experience, we hope to create a stronger bond between the adopter and the cat. Our greatest desire is to inspire our guests to adopt a new family member. Together with Miami-Dade Animal Services, we aim to reduce the number of abandoned and homeless cats in our community.
Not familiar with the Cat Café concept?
A Cat Café is an environment where you can relax, indulge in yummy vegan pastries and/or a beverage while cuddling with cats! The best part, you ask? All cats locally rescued and are up for adoption! The retail café and the cat lounge are separated by a partition wall for no cross-contamination. Our guests will get to interact with several cats at once, allowing them to connect with unique cat personalities.
Our 2-year journey included lots of research, meeting and receiving guidance from other cat café owners around the nation, signing the lease to our unit on 7541 Biscayne Blvd, many meetings with City of Miami's Zoning Department for clearance on our business model, growing our network and credibility, launched a successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign that helped us cover architectural designs and initial permitting fees, community events, rescuing and fostering kittens, participating in TNR projects, and hosting our first-ever Pop-Up event with a Silent Auction, Cat Talks, and Kitten Yoga.
Pop-Up Cat CaféRetail Café ViewCat Lounge ViewDuring our build-out process, we encountered a few unforeseen setbacks that have caused us some costly delays. The "as-built" plans that we were provided did not match the physical plumbing lines that were already laid out underground. This correction set us back an additional $7,825 plus $470 in plumbing exploratory work, adding to our already 100k+ build-out, which then delayed us by another month. Thankfully, our landlord has been gracious and patient with us but we are cutting it close to the wire now.
During this time of giving, I wanted to reach out and humbly as for your help. Opening a business has been my most difficult challenge to date and my passion for giving cats that have been abandoned, surrendered or lost the opportunity to find their forever home is what keeps me going strong. We've invested all our savings and taken out loans to cover all the construction and start-up costs. This set back has really thrown a wrench into our budget, especially now as we prepare to complete equipment purchases and final permitting fees.
Please consider contributing any amount to this fund or by purchasing an item from our online store at https://www.catsmeowmia.com/shop. This is our last stretch before we open The Cat's Meow Café in Miami and we are so close! Every dollar counts, if you are unable to give, please share with those you know.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
- Elizabeth Gallardo
#SmallBusinessRelief
Organizer
Elizabeth Gallardo
Organizer
Miami, FL
