The Chicagoist will be launching later but in the meantime please enjoy our archives.

Get Your Catpuccinos: Cat'fe Coming To Chicago

By Selena Fragassi in News on Mar 21, 2015 4:15PM


If you like a little cat with your coffee, you’re in luck. Yesterday, the Tree House Humane Society announced they will be opening a “cat’fe” as part of their brand-new, $7 million rescue and care facility which will be located in West Rogers Park at 7225 N. Western Avenue.

The café will be located in the waiting area where visitors can grab a latte or tea and spin a yarn with some newfound feline friends that you can take to go if so inclined. The pet café trend is already popular in cities like San Francisco and New York, but this will be the first time Chicago gets in on the buzz and with a charitable mission to boot.

The plan for the new state-of-the-art center has been in the works for five years now and will continue Tree House Humane Society’s great work of caring for 35,000 cats and other small animals since opening in 1971. The new facility will have space for about 150 animals and will also include a full-service public vet clinic (for cats and dogs), sanctuary-like adoption rooms, a pet food pantry and supply store specifically targeted to low-income pet families and an education center for training and pet grief support, all in the hopes of making the Tree House a lifestyle community center. Take a look at some of the renderings on DNAinfo Chicago’s website.

Tree House could break ground starting next month but they are still $2 million short of fundraising goals and are looking for donations to fulfill the project.

“With your help, we will greatly improve the quality of life for companion animals and the people who love them by allowing us to better serve those who need us,” said a statement. “We have a dream and a plan to serve our community in a more expansive way. With this progressive, new facility, we believe that we will be able to more than double the number of cats we rescue, rehabilitate, and re-home in the first year alone, and our impact on the community of animal-lovers will improve noticeably.”

Look for a groundbreaking ceremony to be announced soon.