About Us

Our Story

Established in 2020 by co-founders Carrie Schwartz and Melissa Pruitt, PHX Cat Cafe, formerly known as La Gattara, has become a renowned non-profit cat cafe in Downtown Phoenix. Melissa’s vision initially started as a for-profit organization in Tempe, AZ, but a transformative shift to a non-profit model paved the way for a broader mission of helping both cats and people alike.

Conveniently located at the corner of 2nd St and Garfield in Downtown Phoenix, PHX Cat Cafe combines a delightful coffee shop with a cat lounge, creating a unique space for cat lovers to enjoy. Upon entering the cafe, patrons can indulge in a variety of beverages before immersing themselves in the charming cat lounge. Here, all the resident cats are available for adoption, though many visitors simply drop by to socialize and play with these furry companions.

Since transitioning to a non-profit organization, PHX Cat Cafe has successfully facilitated over 215 cat adoptions from Fall 2020 to Fall 2023. Our commitment extends beyond providing a cozy cat lounge and quality coffee; we offer a range of engaging activities, including cat-themed yoga sessions, paint nights, and lively drag bingo events. Moreover, we offer our cat lounge space for private events and birthday parties, adding a touch of feline magic to your celebrations.

Notably, our CEO and numerous board members actively participate in trap, neuter, return (TNR) initiatives in their communities, and many of our adoptable cats come from the projects we support. At PHX Cat Cafe, we go the extra mile by providing complimentary cat behavior services to all our adopters, ensuring a smooth transition for our beloved cats to their new forever homes.

Visit PHX Cat Cafe today and experience the joy of feline companionship, quality coffee, and a thriving community dedicated to feline welfare. Join us in making a difference, one purr at a time.

Our Mission

At our core, we firmly believe in the transformative power of cats. Each feline possesses limitless potential to become an incredible force for good in the world. Our organization is dedicated to partnering with the community, volunteers, and foster families to rescue cats and connect them with their perfect, loving homes.

We offer comprehensive training and valuable resources for Trap, Neuter, and Return (TNR) programs, an essential tool for managing and reducing the feral cat population. Furthermore, we actively organize events to assist cat owners in addressing behavioral challenges and provide essential medical care for both community cats in need and those within our rescue network.

In our relentless pursuit of promoting feline welfare, we are committed to educating the wider community about the remarkable influence of cats. Every day, we work tirelessly to enrich the lives of both cats and people, facilitating life-changing connections based on their unique personalities. Our ultimate mission is to create one more heartwarming match that will have a lasting, positive impact.

FAQS

Questions about my visit!

You can book a visit with us here!

To enter the cat lounge, it is $18 per person for 1 hour. We are a non-profit organization so this charge helps us pay for bills associated with the cats and allows us to keep doing what we do best: providing a safe space for humans and finding furever homes for the amazing cats in our care. 

Yes, we have a full coffee shop where we serve coffee, tea, smoothies, Italian sodas, and have a few snacks available like chips and cookies.

Reservations are strongly recommended, but not required. If space permits we do allow walk-ins, but please note that especially on the weekends we do often have to turn away walk-ins because we are at capacity!

** IF THERE ARE KIDS (under 13yrs old) IN YOUR GROUP A RESERVATION IS REQUIRED

YES, PLEASE NOTE A RESERVATION IS REQUIRED FOR GROUPS WITH KIDS.

The entry fee must be paid for all children, no matter their age. We do also limit 2 children per 1 adult as well as the total number of children in the lounge at one time and through out the day to reduce the stress on the cats.

Yes, every person that enters the lounge must pay the $18 per hour lounge fee. ANY GROUP WITH KIDS MUST HAVE A RESERVATION.

If you made an online reservation and need to cancel or change, please refer to your confirmation email a minimum of 2 hours before your scheduled time
slot and use the cancel or change links under your reservation time.

If you are late for your reservation, you time will still end at the time of your original reservation. We do need to respect other visitors time in the cat
lounge and will not be able to extend your time if you are late.

We will lock the doors within 10 minutes of an event starting. If you are late, it does disrupt other visitors as well as the host or instructor.

No, we do not have a phone at our location at this time. If
you need to get ahold of us, please email us at info@phxcatcafe.org or use our Contact Us page. We will get back to you as soon as we can!

Our hours of operation are:

  • Thursday 10am-6pm
  • Friday 10am-8pm
  • Saturday 10am-8pm
  • Sunday 10am-6pm

Please note – we are closed from 2-3pm daily for a cat break so that we can reset the space and give our more shy feline friends some time to stretch their legs! Our hours do change if there is a public or private event. Booking your reservation online ensures your visit will be at a time we are open for lounge hours.

Questions about the cats!

Typically, we have between 15-25 cats in the lounge.

Yes, every cat in the lounge has been spayed or neutered.

Yes, every cat in the lounge is up to date on vaccines and FIV/FELV tested before entering the lounge.

We work with several independent rescuers across the valley as well as occasionally take in owner surrenders. We are a non profit rescue ourselves so we often rescue cats when we are doing work within the local community. We are very particular about the cats that we intake because they do need to do well in a large group setting with people coming in and out. We are not an open intake shelter.

We very rarely have kittens in our rescue and do not have them in the lounge. We do only intake kittens that come from our TRN projects. We are not able to accept any kittens needing placement.

Yes, our mission is to help cats find their furever homes. All our available cats are regularly posted in the Adoptable Cats section of the home page. There you can browse and find out more information about each cat, including age, breed, sex, adoption fees, adoption form, etc.

Adoption fees range from $100-$200 dollars depending on the cat. Most adoption fees are listed on the cats profile, but you can email us if you do not see it there.

slot and use the cancel or change links under your reservation time.

If there is a cat you are interested in the first step is visiting them at the cat lounge in person. We will not adopt to anyone that has not visited the cat lounge and met the cat they are interested in. We do also require every adult in the household
to have met the cat before we will even consider moving forward in the adoption process. We then will ask you to go online and fill out the adoption application for the cat you are interested in. After we receive your online application we will have a conversation with you to make sure the cat is the right fit for your home. Putting in an application does not guarantee you will be approved to adopt. If you are the right fit for the cat you have applied for we will move forward with the adoption and have you pay the adoption fee. Once that is completed, you can take your new cat home!

Go to the Adoptable Cats section and click on the cat you are interested in adopting. You will be taken to their profile. Click on “Apply for adoption” so you can start filling out the online form. If you have any questions, please email us at info@phxcatcafe.org or use our Contact Us page.

Our Sponsors

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