Catsbury Park - NJ's First Cat Cafe

Calling all cat lovers…Monmouth County has some paw-some plans in store for 2017 and the up-and-coming Catsbury Park is a must-see for your animal bucket list. So we’ve all heard of dog-friendly dining, but what about cats? Cat cafes are exactly what they sound like: a cafe in which guests are accompanied by their feline friends in a public space. Serving as both a cat cafe and rescue agency for adult cats, Catsbury Park – New Jersey’s First Cat Cafe will serve as New Jersey’s first ever Cat Tea House & Cat Lounge and we are thrilled to see what it’s all about.

Cat cafes first made their mark in Asia and, with increasing popularity, have been meowing their way over to the states during the past few years. Cat cafes in the US differ from many overseas in the sense that they also serve as adoption and foster agencies, which is exactly how Catsbury Park got its start.

Cats, tea, AND all for a good cause…it doesn’t get much better than that! We had a chance to catch up with owner Dj who was gracious enough share his journey on how he got started in this unique organization. Here’s the scoop on what to expect for this awesome place:

So tell us about your organization and location?

Catsbury Park, Inc is a New Jersey 501(c) non-profit corporation with the goal of helping as many kittens and cats find loving homes through various channels.  As those already following us on social media might recall, we started fostering kittens in the summer of 2016 and were able to place 37 kittens with forever homes within our first 2 months.  But we also wanted to create a space where the public can learn about cats, interact with them, and take them home if it is a match.  This is why we are opening Catsbury Park Tea House & Cat Lounge.

How can we get in touch?

Catsbury Park will be located at 708 Cookman Ave in Asbury Park.  While we hope in the future to continue fostering kittens, the focus at our physical location of Catsbury Park will be on adult cats who, while available for adoption, are residents of the cafe and interact with customers.  We will also be serving tea and will have merchandize available to purchase as well.   We chose Asbury Park for our cat cafe, which will be the first in New Jersey, for a number of reasons.  But first and foremost, we wanted to be in Asbury Park because it is my home.  I grew up on the Jersey Shore and have seen Asbury Park grow so much in the past 10-15 years.  It is the perfect community for our business and organization, but it also important for me to be able to help contribute to the positive development of the area.

Visit Us At – www.catsburypark.com

Facebook – Catsbury Park

Instagram – @Catsburypark

Twitter – @catsburypark

Email  Us At – [email protected]

How do you stay involved with the community? Do you have plans to run any outreach events? Any sponsors?

It is important for us to feel like we are creating a positive and educational space for the community to learn about cats and interact with them. Once open we plan on running all types of outreach events and programs. Everything from educational events about caring cats you may have at home, to helping feral communities. We also hope to eventually work on a program to have seniors be able to come in and spend time with the cats as well as yoga and children reading classes. We are currently working closely with the Monmouth SPCA to help bring these ideas to light.  We would love to find sponsors who would want to get behind our vision!

What is your favorite part about running your business?

This is a simple one, the cats!   It is perhaps obvious that we love cats.  You wouldn’t get involved in this business if you didn’t, but to be able to see the connection that is made when someone falls in love with a cat or kitten for the first time is priceless.  Getting texts, email and messages from our adoptees with updates on the cats is the best.  Knowing that there are so many at risk cats in the world in need of forever homes and being able to help find them such homes is very rewarding.  We are also enjoying coming up with creative ideas for the merchandise we sell online and will also be selling in our store when we open.

Where did your inspiration come from for opening a cat cafe?

I grew up at the Jersey Shore, but my girlfriend (and Catsbury Park co-founder) and I live half of the year in San Francisco.  The first cat cafes in the United States opened in the Bay Area in 2014.  I was intrigued at the outset.  In the Spring of 2015, I went to my first cat cafe, Kittea Cafe in San Francisco and after five minutes in the cafe I knew I needed to open a cat cafe in Asbury Park.  I spent over a year visiting as many cat cafes as I could to see if it was something we could make work as a business.  In the Spring of 2016, we started Catsbury Park Inc, the nonprofit organization, started fostering kittens and started to look into locations for the actual cafe and retail space.   We are very happy with the spot we secured on Cookman Ave, and can’t wait for everyone to come see it when we open.

When can we plan on seeing you in action? Scheduled opening date or time frame?

At the moment we are in the early construction phase. Our plans have been finalized and we are getting the proper permits and such to do the buildout of the space.  A lot of our cat structures are being built off site already and will be brought in as we get further along. Our projected opening date is Spring 2017 barring any unforeseen hold ups.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

I would like to thank everyone who has supported us since our inception.  The positivity has been very inspiring and has far exceeded our exceptions.  Anyone who would like to help out or get involved in what we do can check out our website or send us an email.  There is information on our website about donating, as well as the opportunity to purchase some of our ever expanding line of merchandise.  All donations and purchases are tax deductible as well!  Thanks again and we hope to see everyone in the spring!!

Have You Ever Been to A Cat Cafe?

We’d love to hear from you. Whether you’re going out to a cat cafe or going on vacation and need a pet sitter, give us a ring. We’d love to come spend time with your cats when you can’t be there. Contact Us via our website or call us at 201-446-1559.