Woman inspired by cat's death creates Long Island's 1st cat cafe
SAYVILLE, Suffolk County (WABC) -- Long Island is now home to every cat lovers' dream - a cat cafe.
Ryan Shea, of Yaphank, is the owner of Shabby Tabby Cat Cafe in Sayville.
When her cat died, she became involved in cat rescue and visited some cat cafes in Colorado and New York City. This inspired Shea to open a cat cafe.
The cafe features various lounge chairs, bean bag chairs and cushion benches. The space is dotted with cat ladders and cat toys.
Around 15 to 20 cats are free to roam about the entire space, and all the cats come from The Golden Paw Society in Huntington and can be adopted.
"People can see their personalities more in a situation like this," Shea said. "Sit and hang out with them, and then if they want to adopt one, we have the applications here."
Shea said her other goal is to provide the community with a place of relaxation.
"Cats have a very relaxing quality to them, so a lot of times you have a bad day or if you're stressed out, you just come and sit with a cat and they're purring," she said. "They're just relaxing animals."
One hour sessions cost $15, while a monthly membership can be purchased for $100. It includes 10 sessions every month, and reservations are recommended.
Shea said she is planning various events, including yoga, wine night and Halloween scary movie night with cats.
The cafe officially opens Saturday.
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