SUMMARY

Paws Awhile Cat Café is located in Perry, Georgia, just a few blocks from Carroll Street, the city’s downtown and historical district, known for small bakeries, boutique clothing stores, restaurants, and churches. Paws Awhile is the first cat café to open in Middle Georgia and the only cat café in this study that is located in a rural area with a population of fewer than 30,000 residents. The city of Perry is largely supported by the nearby Robins Air Force Base that provides jobs and housing in the area. Paws Awhile is located in a shopping center along with well-known local restaurants, including Yoder’s Sandwich Shop and Skipper John’s Chicken and Seafood. The entrance to Paws Awhile features large windows where you can peak in to see the adoptable cats. Once inside, the purple and teal space feels like home. The space is welcoming, inviting, and features a café area with plenty of seating, a community puzzle table, and merchandise created by local artists.

In my interview with Rebecca, I learned that she had long imagined a space where people could interact with cats, to “visit them, get to know them, something like a cat lounge.” Prior to opening a cat café, Rebecca spent over a decade working as a licensed veterinarian technician and has extensive experience working with animals. With some life changes, and with cat cafes becoming more popular in the United States, Rebecca “decided it was time and went for it.”

Rebecca partners with local rescue organizations who identify cats that have been in the shelter longer and are good candidates for adoption. When I asked Rebecca about how she socializes cats that are new to the café, she focused on the importance of understanding cat body language, positive reinforcement, and of course treats! Rebecca introduces visitors, especially those less familiar with cats, walks them into the cat lounge, and points out little things about each cat, including their favorite toys. When she works with younger kids she emphasizes, “the slower you move the more they are going to want to come up to you. Maybe sit on the rug and they will come up to you.”

Coming from a veterinary background and noticing how dog-centered society can be, Rebecca intentionally designed Paws Awhile to have a comfortable, cozy, home-like feel where people can get to know cats and see the companionship they can provide. For Rebecca it was important to “[create an] environment so people can really see themselves at home with a cat and what that would look like [since] once you experience that in the café and you get a sense of how much joy that brings you, hopefully people adopt.”