{"id":8348,"date":"2026-02-27T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwine\/news\/8348\/forgotten-felines-get-second-chance-at-kamloops-first-cat-cafe\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T16:57:32","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T00:57:32","slug":"forgotten-felines-get-second-chance-at-kamloops-first-cat-cafe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwine\/news\/8348\/forgotten-felines-get-second-chance-at-kamloops-first-cat-cafe\/","title":{"rendered":"Forgotten felines get second chance at Kamloops’ first cat cafe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kamloops’ first cat caf\u00e9 is complete and the owner aim to find forever homes for cats that were once feral on the streets in and around the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Julie Coneybeare Ondang is the owner of Catloops. She designed and opened the caf\u00e9 with the help of close friends and family members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve created a welcoming, comfortable atmosphere here to help cat lovers enjoy interacting with the cats, and hopefully take them home,\u201d she told iNFOnews.ca.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cats are rescues from Julie\u2019s non-profit called Sammy\u2019s Forgotten Felines<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFeral cats is a constant issue from not fixing cats and they can repopulate in no time flat,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m sure we\u2019re making a dent in the populations but we\u2019re not seeing it yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"|\"
Catloops Cat Cafe in Kamloops. SHANNON AINSLIE\/iNFOnews.ca<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Some of those cats will be adopted through the caf\u00e9, 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you have a cranky feral cat and you work with him and he turns into a big love bug, there’s just nothing better,\u201d she said. \u201cFosters 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Volunteer Angela Glenn has helped put the facility together. She fostered three cats in the past and adopted all of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m a foster fail three times over,\u201d she said. \u201cI already had two cats and didn\u2019t want to keep anymore so I fostered. But because they\u2019re feral and I worked with them to gain trust they won my heart. Once you get into it, you\u2019re hooked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"|\"
Owner at Catloops Cat Cafe in Kamloops Julie Coneybeare Ondange left stands beside her son Dan Ondang. SHANNON AINSLIE\/iNFOnews.ca <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Julie\u2019s son Dan Ondang is always on hand to help out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe can always use volunteers and if you have any kind of skill to offer, we\u2019ll gladly find something for you to do,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Located at #2-970 Laval Crescent, Catloops is a bright, relaxing space with a caf\u00e9 up front and a lounge designed with walking platforms and scratching posts for the felines, and couches and tables for guests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"|\"
Roughly a dozen formerly feral cats are available for adoption Catloops Cat Cafe in Kamloops. SHANNON AINSLIE\/iNFOnews.ca<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is similar to the Okanagan\u2019s only cat caf\u00e9, Catelowna Cat Cafe<\/a>, located in downtown Kelowna where hundreds of cats from local rescue organizations have found forever homes since it opened in June, 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Go here to for more information and updates, or to volunteer. <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWhen you have a cranky feral cat and you work with him and he turns into a big love bug, there’s just nothing better.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":478,"featured_media":8349,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"guid":"","source":"","byline":"","published":"","updated":"","_infotelid":"","_prepressid":"","_multisite_post_sync":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1810,706,704],"tags":[],"region":[547,548,549,550],"class_list":["post-8348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-local","category-topnews","region-kamloops","region-kelowna","region-penticton","region-vernon"],"blocksy_meta":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwine\/news\/8348\/forgotten-felines-get-second-chance-at-kamloops-first-cat-cafe\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Forgotten felines get second chance at Kamloops’ first cat cafe","url":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwine\/news\/8348\/forgotten-felines-get-second-chance-at-kamloops-first-cat-cafe\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwine\/news\/8348\/forgotten-felines-get-second-chance-at-kamloops-first-cat-cafe\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/inwine-cafe-cover.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/inwine-cafe-cover.jpg"},"articleSection":"Featured","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Shannon Ainslie"}],"creator":["Shannon Ainslie"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"iNwine","logo":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/06\/logo-inwine.png"},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2026-02-27T12:00:00Z","datePublished":"2026-02-27T12:00:00Z","dateModified":"2026-02-27T12:00:00Z"},"rendered":"