TINKERS CAT CAFE OPENS FIRST OF ITS KIND IN UTAH.

• Author: Taylor, Adva
• Position: Around Utah

Salt Lake City -- Are you thirsty for a catpuccino? How about a meowcchiato? Well, now there's a place in Salt Lake City where you can enjoy good coffee; locally made, fresh pastries; and the company of 14 loveable, adoptable cats.

Lisa Boone opened the state's first cat coffee shop and lounge, TINKER'S CAT CAFE, on November 4. She first got the Idea to open the cafe three years ago when watching an episode of CBS's The Amazing Race where the contestants visited a cat cafe in Japan--the country that originated the concept in the late 1990s. Boone was Immediately struck with the desire to bring the idea to Utah and has been working on it ever since.

The concept is simple. You make a one-hour reservation online (tinkerscatcafe.com), show up before your reserved slot to buy coffee and pastries, and then you (and a maximum of 15 other patrons) will be served your goodies in the cat lounge. The cat lounge--separated from the cafe proper by a glass door--is where 14 shelter cats of all shapes, colors and sizes play, snooze, meow and relax. You can drink your coffee, play with and pet the cats, or just sit and read a book and wait for one to jump on your lap and take a nap.

Boone has always loved animals and partly wanted to open the cat cafe to do a service for Utah's cats. While Utah's adoption rate for dogs Is over 90 percent, its save rate for shelter cats is only around 75 percent. In order to qualify as a no-kill state, Utah's combined save rate needs to be over 90 percent. Cat cafes are a good way for the public to come In, interact with cats outside the shelter setting, and see if they want to take a new friend home.

"The cats in shelters need more of a chance to be seen and a better chance to get adopted," said Boone. "Cat cafes around the states have proven to be successful in that area."

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