Cats lounge across couches and window perches, playing and stretching as people of all ages gather to enjoy them at Kitty Corner in downtown Iowa City.

What many now consider an Iowa City staple began with four weeks of renovations that transformed a former nail salon into a cat café. As the business marks a year since opening, Kitty Corner Social Club has facilitated 280 cat adoptions, with about 90 percent of its cats adopted by the end of each week, according to co-founder Cooper Brown, son of owner Katy Brown.

The idea behind Kitty Corner was never meant to be a business model built on numbers, Cooper Brown said.

“It was honestly just a joke between us that we thought it would be something fun to have downtown Iowa City,” Cooper Brown said. “The plague of vape shops and bars was people would be interested in having something new and a little special to do that also could serve a good purpose.” 

String lights hang across the ceiling, casting a glow over purple and turquoise walls lined with framed cat portraits, art prints, and posters as cats weave between visitors’ feet. 

Cats come every Monday from Iowa City Animal and Adoption Center, Dubuque Regional Humane Society, the Cedar County League for Animal Welfare, and the Scott County Humane Society. Adoption fees are $150 per cat, and all cats are spayed or neutered, microchipped,
and vaccinated. Adoptions are reviewed Thursdays, and adopted cats go to their new homes on Sundays. 

For Cooper Brown, Kitty Corner’s success goes beyond the adoptions, it’s about the community that formed around them. 

“It’s been awesome to be able to create a space where so many different people groups and communities want to use,” he said. “There’s such a disconnect between students and longer-term residents of Iowa City. I think it’s been really interesting seeing how this space bridges that gap a little bit.” 

For many families in Iowa City, that sense of connection begins with a single cat. The Stoner family’s experience is just one of many shaped by Kitty Corner.

 The Stoner family has had many cats, but none that have been able to keep up with their 3-year-old daughter, Rylee, besides Louise. 

“Our other cats, they’re kind of scaredy cats, and they were pretty timid of Rylee, but Louise, she’s not timid of her at all, and she just will lay next to her even when Rylee is kind of a crazy bouncy toddler,” Angela Stoner, Rylee’s mom, said. 

Louise is a female orange cat. Stoner described Louise as having dog-like qualities, always wanting attention and to be snuggled by her owners. 

When Stoner walked into Kitty Corner Social Club in February 2025, one month after the adoption cafe opened, she wasn’t expecting to get a cat. After dinner with a friend, the two walked into the small shop on Clinton Street. 

“They opened, and I’ve always wanted to go into a cat cafe, but I’ve never been to one before,” Stoner said. “And so I went with my friend Alison just to check it out and hang out with cats because we both love cats, and of course, I met Louise and just fell in love with her instantly.” 

Seeing Louise’s orange fur, Stoner took it as a sign to take her home. 

“I’ve always wanted an orange cat because my grandma’s cat growing up, which was my favorite cat ever, was an orange, and I also really loved it,” Stoner said. “I learned that female orange cats are actually pretty rare.” 

When describing Kitty Corner, Stoner said the cafe stands out as a place that genuinely cares about cats. 

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“The staff are just really passionate about cats and taking care of cats, and they’re really excited to be a part of the Kitty Corner,” Stoner said. 

Every day, 8-yearold Lucy Breher comes home to her three cats, Walter, Moonbeam, and Momo, who meet her at the door. Lucy said she looks forward to it every day. 

“I love cats,”  Lucy said, with pink cat ears on top of her head. 

Lucy was the first in her family to go to Kitty Corner Social Club, going with her summer camp to see the cats. Since then, Lucy has gone many more times, calling her and Kitty Corner’s owner, Katy Brown, friends, excitedly sharing that a picture she had drawn is on Kitty Corner’s wall. 

“I think they could just really tell how Lucy has a love for cats and how good she is with cats,” Tonia Breher, Lucy’s mom, said. 

Lucy grew up with Momo and another cat. After the other cat died, Momo was the only cat left in the house. Lucy’s family later decided to adopt another cat, so Momo would not be alone, bringing Walter into their home. 

Breher said Kitty Corner set itself apart amongst the other pet suppliers because of the way they advertised their pets. 

“I think that she does a great job with describing their personality so you can kind of get a sense of what the cats are like and if those are cats that you think you’d like to meet,”  Breher said. 

Walter was a complete surprise for Lucy; the day the Breher’s adopted Walter began with Lucy’s mom telling her daughter they were going to the library, but instead took her to Kitty Corner. 

“I was so excited, and I could just not wait to take him home,” Lucy said. Lucy described Walter as a black shorthaired energetic cat, calling him a “little explorer.” 

Soon after, the cat, soon to be known as Moonbeam, was seen on the Kitty Corner social media pages. Breher said after seeing the post, she just had to have him. 

“We discovered that Walter really wanted to play, and Momo, being an older cat, did not really have that energy that Walter was looking for. So we realized that we thought it would be best for Walter and Momo if we got a cat that was Walter’s age that would be willing to run around and wrestle with him,” Breher said. 

Now, Lucy said that Walter and Moonbeam keep her busy as the three of them chase each other around the house and play an assortment of games. 

“Sometimes I hold like a stick toy with a feather at the end and I see how high they can jump. Walter’s is always really good at it,” Lucy said.