Lucky Cat Cafe & Lounge START-UP
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS FUNDRAISER?
To open a unique, non-profit adoption center called Lucky Cat Café & Lounge that would help homeless and abandoned cats spend less time in shelter cages and find permanent homes faster and more efficiently.
Did you know 1,600 homeless and abandoned cats come through the doors at Louisville Metro Animal Services each year? When we found that out, we knew they could use some help. We visited cat cafes in other cities and saw how they were helping cats get adopted faster than shelters and humane societies ever could. We knew this could make a difference in our city.
With your financial help, we are 100% committed and confident that we can and are turning this vision into a reality for Louisville.
Lucky Cat has two adoption partners: Metro Animal Services and Shamrock Pet Foundation: Both will provide kittens and cats, who will live in the cat lounge 24/7. They will be prescreened for a friendly personality, micro-chipped, spayed/neutered, current with shots, and vet checked.
Note: The cafe's name “Lucky Cat” is a Asian good luck charm that brings fortune to its owner, just like a four-leaf clover does. These homeless and abandoned cats will be the lucky ones when they get adopted!
WHAT IS A CAT CAFÉ?
The cat café concept originally began in Taiwan and Japan a dozen years ago because cats are generally not allowed in small apartments there. Cat lovers can hang out with a roomful of felines in a comfortable, home-like setting. The concept eventually spread to Europe and North America. More than 100 cat cafes have opened in the US since 2014. The closest ones to Louisville are Nine Lives in Indianapolis, IN; Kitty Brew in Mason, OH; and Mewsic Kitty in Nashville, TN. 
WHAT ARE THE FUNDS FOR SPECIFICALLY?
UPDATE 8/20/18: We have found a permanent space in the Upper Highlands in the Belknap Neighborhood. This is where the two founders, Karla and Gail, live, work, and raised their families. Both of them serve on the Belknap Neighborhood Assoc. board of directors and help plan the annual Belknap Fall Festival.
Funds raised on GoFundMe are being used for minor construction to create a Cat Lounge that is physically separated from the Coffeeshop, plus to remodel/decorate the space with cat condos, scratching posts, cat toys, a book nook, rugs and pillows, and animal-friendly seating and tables. Plus there is rent, utilities, insurance, and more, which is a lot for a new startup that has no income yet.
We are pending 501c3 non-profit status as a charity dedicated to animal adoption. A group of volunteers has been interviewed and begun signing up for weekly shifts. More are needed. We will not have any paid staff for a long time.
A LITTLE ABOUT US
The two founders are Karla and Gail. Karla has lived Louisville all her life. She said while growing up, they always had house cats. When she got her first apartment, the landlord did not allow pets at all. She snuck in a yellow kitten anyway. A neighbor ratted her out, and she had a choice to keep the lease or keep the cat. She moved out the next month. She raised two girls with her engineer husband Charles.
Gail and her husband Joe raised two beautiful girls at nearby schools and belong to St. Raphael parish. She worked in the insurance industry and at Louisville Free Public Library. Her large cat Todd has been an inspiration for Gail to help more cats find homes and get out of cramped shelters. Altogether, Karla and Gail visited five cat cafes in the region to bring the best ideas to Louisville. 
(Sixth grader Rania reads to furry book buddies at a cat shelter in Pennsylvania. Children improve their reading skills in a non-judgmental environment with the cats, which benefit from socialization and comfort. Lucky Cat Cafe will have a similar program. Photo used with permission.)
FINAL WORDS
Besides animal adoption, Lucky Cat would benefit the community in additional ways, such as:
* offering struggling students an opportunity to read books to cats during Book Buddies time,
* inviting seniors and shut-in’s for private visits to enjoy "purr therapy" and reduce their loneliness.
* offering community events such as: Yoga with Cats, Story Time for Youngsters, paint classes, guest speakers, and more.
Do you want to see this kind of cat café open in Louisville? If yes, YOU can help make this vision a reality for our city. Please make a contribution TODAY!
Those who contribute $40 or more will receive a T-shirt and a free pass to visit our Cat Lounge. THANK YOU FOR caring about homeless cats in our city.
