Band City Stray Cat Rescue and Protection Society Inc. (SCRAPS) and Moose Jaw Families For Change (MJFFC) have teamed up to offer the community's first pop-up Cat Café on Thursday, Feb. 28.
The event will serve as a fundraiser for SCRAPS, while also offering a place for community members to come and interact with the cats.
This is the first time that SCRAPS and MJFFC are partnering to bring this initiative to the community, which organizers say will be beneficial to both organizations and the wider Moose Jaw community.
Anne Marciszyn, volunteer at SCRAPS, said people in the community have been requesting a Cat Café in Moose Jaw for some time and the opportunity was perfect when they were contacted by MJFFC to implement this initiative.
“Moose Jaw Families For Change approached us about partnering with them for this event. They thought we’d really like it. We loved it because we’ve had a call for a Cat Café from a lot of people in Moose Jaw where they can come and spend time with the cats. So, a lot of our followers were excited when we announced this partnership to do a Cat Café. The response so far has been tremendous because our upcoming session is sold out already. However, people will get an opportunity to register for others as this will be ongoing for some time.”
The organizations hosted a soft launch of the Cat Café recently and received remarkable feedback.
“Our first Cat Café was very successful so we’re inviting the community to come out and be part of this premier partnership right here in Moose Jaw,” added Marciszyn. SCRAPS will announce the next Cat Café on its Facebook page.
Katie Statler, Community Coordinator at Moose Jaw Families for Change, said interaction with animals has been a great experience for MJFFC clients. As a result, Families for Change wanted to make this open for the community to attend.
“We are a local non-profit organization that supports people with varying abilities, and we acknowledge that some of the folks we support gain great experiences when they interact with animals. We’ve had interactions with dogs, goats and other farm animals but we realized that they enjoy time with cats,” she explained. “We decided that we’d do a partnership with SCRAPS for a Cat Café which will facilitate this — not only for the folks at our centre but also for people in the community.”
Statler says she is happy to bring this initiative to Moose Jaw because Cat Cafés have been a growing trend.
“Cat Cafes have been a popular trend currently, but Moose Jaw doesn’t have one. So, we thought that if this would be mutually beneficial for us and SCRAPS, then we would initiate that partnership. All the proceeds from the Cat Café will go towards SCRAPS to assist with their programs. We’re hoping to continue this for a while because there has been a great response so far.”
Both SCRAPS and the Moose Jaw Families for Change said the Cat Café has several benefits for people who would like to attend. They said it is also beneficial for the cats in SCRAPS’ adoption program.
“It’s important to note that not only is this a fundraiser but it is highly beneficial for those who attend,” said Marciszyn. “SCRAPS does pet therapy and we’re looking at this as a form of pet therapy for individuals. There are lots of studies that show how beneficial pets are to people; they relieve stress, reduce blood pressure and heart rate and they make people feel good. They are also beneficial to our cats because they are looking for homes and we’re hoping that through the contacts they make, there’s a chance they’ll find a home.”
The Cat Café will be held at the Kinsmen Inclusion Centre at 335 4th Ave. SW. You can register to attend an upcoming Cat Café at [email protected] The cost to attend the Cat Café is $5. This includes a 45-minute session to engage with the cats, coffee or tea, and a treat. The Cat Café facilitates two sessions, allowing up to 20 people to attend.
Watch the SCRAPS and Moose Jaw Families for Change Facebook pages to for details on the next Cat Café.
