Forgotten felines get second chance at Kamloops’ first cat cafe

Kamloops’ first cat café is complete and the owner aim to find forever homes for cats that were once feral on the streets in and around the city.

This week, 13 rescued cats are getting used to the newly designed space called Catloops Cat Cafe, playing with toys and lounging in the sun pouring through the windows.

Originating in Taiwan in the late 1990s and popular in Japan, cat cafes invite customers to interact with adoptable cats while sipping on hot or cold drinks.

Julie Coneybeare Ondang is the owner of Catloops. She designed and opened the café with the help of close friends and family members.

“We’ve created a welcoming, comfortable atmosphere here to help cat lovers enjoy interacting with the cats, and hopefully take them home,” she told iNFOnews.ca.

The cats are rescues from Julie’s non-profit called Sammy’s Forgotten Felines where her team of dedicated volunteers trap feral cats, get them fixed and vet checked, and take them into foster care. Since the rescue started in 2019, the team has trapped, fixed and found foster homes for roughly 1,000 feral cats.

“Feral cats is a constant issue from not fixing cats and they can repopulate in no time flat,” she said. “I’m sure we’re making a dent in the populations but we’re not seeing it yet.”

Some of those cats will be adopted through the café, while two of the friendliest ones will live there to greet other incoming cats. It takes a lot of loving foster care to transform the feisty feral cats into happy, friendly house cats, a transformation that inspires Julie’s work.

“When you have a cranky feral cat and you work with him and he turns into a big love bug, there’s just nothing better,” she said. “Fosters figure out if the cats are food motivated or play motivated, and it takes a lot of patience and a lot of working with them to socialize them.”

Volunteer Angela Glenn has helped put the facility together. She fostered three cats in the past and adopted all of them.

“I’m a foster fail three times over,” she said. “I already had two cats and didn’t want to keep anymore so I fostered. But because they’re feral and I worked with them to gain trust they won my heart. Once you get into it, you’re hooked.”

Cat lover Liz King volunteered hours of her time painting the facility and decking it out with artistic cat platforms. She also designed the business logo.

More volunteers are needed to continue work in both operations and to assist with fundraising events. The family is keen to keep building a community of those wanting to provide second chances for animals.

Julie’s son Dan Ondang is always on hand to help out.

“We can always use volunteers and if you have any kind of skill to offer, we’ll gladly find something for you to do,” he said.

Located at #2-970 Laval Crescent, Catloops is a bright, relaxing space with a café up front and a lounge designed with walking platforms and scratching posts for the felines, and couches and tables for guests.

It is similar to the Okanagan’s only cat café, Catelowna Cat Cafe, located in downtown Kelowna where hundreds of cats from local rescue organizations have found forever homes since it opened in June, 2023.

Julie is currently doing a soft launch to see how the feral cats are fairing and iron out any bumps in daily operations. The doors open to the public on March 23 for a week-long grand opening full of events including yoga sessions, art activities and a wine tasting.

Go here to for more information and updates, or to volunteer.