Nestled just across the street from the Pentacrest, the Kitty Corner Social Club will be sinking its claws into Iowa City in mid-to-late February.
The city’s first-ever cat lounge aims to provide a unique and comfortable space where community members can sit back, relax, and enjoy the comfort and connections provided by cats. Through a partnership with the Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center, visitors of the lounge will also have the opportunity to adopt some of the new furry friends they make.
“Iowa City is the perfect place to pull on this thread of humanity and animal love and compassion,” Kitty Corner founder Katy Brown said. “Everyone needs their cortisol levels lowered a bit in this day and age.”
Upon walking through the front door of Kitty Corner, which stands in the former V’s Nail Studio location, guests will be greeted with colorful feline-inspired wallpaper and decorations, as well as toys and space for cats to roam freely.
They will then be instructed to remove their shoes for the safety of the cats and given a sticker denoting the hour when their time is up. Twelve cats will be ready and available to play with and pet at any one time.
People will have the opportunity to enter the lounge for 15 minutes if they pay $11, 30 minutes for $15, or 60 minutes for $22. In addition, there will be private event packages available for purchase.
“I’m cat-obsessed and missing my cat while at college, so I’ll definitely check this out,” University of Iowa second-year student Kathryn Schultz said. “Cat people are some of the best people.”
Schultz plans on visiting Kitty Corner soon after it opens and hopes the presence of cats there will provide her with love and warmth while she is away from her own household cat.
The idea for Kitty Corner first took root after Brown and her family visited a cat lounge in Paris. Once back in Iowa, Brown made arrangements to meet the owner of Coffee Cats, a popular cat cafe in West Des Moines that serves beverages in the presence of feline friends.
During this conversation, Brown was able to think through logistics and formulate a potential business model. As an entrepreneur for many years, Brown had background experience in marketing and brand strategy, which aided her in planning.
“After that, it all came together very fast,” Brown said.
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Following a period of exploration into several other cat lounges on the east coast in September to narrow down her plans, Brown sat down and signed the Iowa City lease for Kitty Corner in December while also completing her work on the brand.
“It didn’t even enter my realm of possibility until May or June, and then in July, when I witnessed that first cat lounge overseas, I was like, ‘Oh, this is real. We could do this,’” Brown said. “I felt an urgency to be resistant in a way that is loving and compassionate within my community.”
The first batch of cats reached Kitty Corner on Feb. 12.
Jennifer Read, the Animal Care and Adoption Center’s volunteer program assistant, will help coordinate choosing new cats to replace those that get adopted during their time at Kitty Corner.
Read said she is excited to see how the new business will impact the cats themselves, who will now have a wide variety of new people to play and interact with. She, along with others at the adoption center, will act as an extension of the support Kitty Corner is providing to both the cats and the Iowa City community.
“We are just super excited for our cats to showcase themselves more,” Read said. “This will bring out the best in them.”
If a visitor wishes to adopt a cat, they will be directed to fill out Kitty Corner’s online application form, which will be similar to what might be encountered at an animal shelter. People will also have the option to pre-apply if they are coming from out of town and know they have an interest in adoption.
Each cat resident will be fitted with a collar marking them as either female, male, or house cat, which is a cat unavailable for adoption.
While preparations start to fall into place for the opening weeks, Brown is grateful for the other business owners around her who have been supportive of her efforts with the cat lounge.
“There are great resources available when you dig in, stand up for yourself, and ask questions. Iowa City Downtown District is incredible,” Brown said. “They have provided mentorship, answered questions, and let me know about funding opportunities.”
Brown hopes to eventually begin hosting community events such as film screenings and cat yoga. She believes these events will help bring an already vibrant and diverse community through the front door.
As the cat lounge has worked on opening its doors, it has also made new job opportunities available for people. Brown describes Kitty Corner workers as “lounge experience specialists” who can work either in the front or back of the house.
Workers in front of the house will be charged with greeting customers, answering questions, and reminding people to take off their shoes, while those in the back will handle the care and keeping of the cats, making sure they are fed and safe.
“We’re all just here taking care of the cats, welcoming humans, and making sure everyone is safe and well-cared-for,” Brown said.
The opening date of Kitty Corner remains flexible due to not knowing how quickly the first batch of cats will adapt to their new home. However, the community remains excited for that first day — whenever it comes.
“Animals have a way of just bringing us back to the basics,” Brown said. “In a world full of distractions and things that make us angry, it’s nice just to be present and worry about a little fluff and a purr.”