As I wandered into Entangled Cat Cafe in Watkinsville, GA, I considered the meaning of the word “ailurophile.” I saw it on their website, prominently displayed on merchandise like t-shirts. As I later discovered through an internet search, the term and the café literally embody the definition of “cat fancier.”
I met the owners, Kristy and Amy, in the café area. They gave me a tour of the building and explained how everything works. You can stay in the observation zone for free, but if you want to interact with the cats, reservations are required for one of the two cat rooms.
Kristy and Amy recommend making online reservations to make sure you have a spot when you arrive. They also suggest coming between 9-11 in the morning or from 5-7 in the evenings to catch the cats during their most playful times of day. The café charges $15 an hour to play with the cats who, except for the two resident cats, are all eligible for adoption through the Athens-Clarke Humane Society.
The Vision
Cat cafe’s originated in Japan, and flourish throughout East Asia, the idea is just beginning to catch on in the United States. Thus, it’s surprising that a small North Georgian town like Watkinsville boasts such a treasure. Kristy and Amy pioneered the vision after seeing examples of cat cafes in other areas, wishing to bring the experience to their hometown.
The dream started as an online market launched in July 2022. “The goal was always to have a physical cat cafe, and we were looking for the perfect location all along,” Kristy and Amy said, “We signed a lease at our current location in March 2023, so it took us about a year to get all the required permits and to renovate the space to be exactly what we envisioned for our cafe, market, and cat lounge.”
In the future, Kristy and Amy hope to expand their vision to other towns in North Georgia. However, they’re currently focusing on the local community—and, of course, the adoptable cats.
“Our dream was to create a space for cats that would be engaging and entertaining for them,” Kristy and Amy said. “This turned into creating a kitty playground. We wanted to give them plenty of space to run, jump, and climb that would stimulate them physically and mentally.”
Moreover, they also host a monthly book club with regular updates on Instagram.
The Coffee
While you’ll find high quality coffee, there aren’t any baristas in this cafe. Instead, all of the coffee and specialty drinks are made by a machine. However, you won’t find gas station grade coffee in your cup. As Kristy noted with pride, the machine can make all types of specialty drinks, including macchiatos. Concerning the roast, they provide Publica coffee, a local brand that’s known for avoiding pesticides that are all too common in the coffee industry.
While they don’t have a kitchen, Entangled Cat Cafe offers a variety of snacks such as scones, charcuterie trays, and pimento cheese snack trays available in two tall refrigerators in the market area. Kristy noted that the menu is still a work in progress, but their goal is to become “entangled” with the local community of bakers and artisans, “We try to work with local artists and businesses to source food and locally made merchandise when possible,” she said. “We partner with our local Humane Society to bring adoptable cats into the cafe, and we hope to be able to support other local pet rescues as well.”
Coffee and pastries are obviously bad for cats, but the market sells cat treats if you want to share a morsel with your coffee date. Branded t-shirts, coffee mugs, jewelry, and other merch purrfect for an ailurophile are also available in the market area.
My Experience with the Cats
Petunias and pothos bloom on the white gravel flowerbed beside the exterior door, which was painted a bright cerulean blue. My navigation system had led me astray at first, but I easily distinguished the cat café among the unremarkable downtown office buildings due to the welcoming and delightfully eccentric style of the exterior.
Upon walking through the front door, I was immediately greeted by a countertop bar facing a giant glass window that looks like a zoo exhibit. This area is free to hang out and enjoy a cup of coffee from the café. Hanging out in the observation area, you’re privy to all of the joys of watching the first cat room, but without the risk of loose fur or scratches. However, I wanted the full experience, so I paid the fee and ventured inside to have an afternoon coffee with new my feline friends.
The sunrise mural painted on the wall of the first cat room features mountains rising in the distance. Paired with vibrant green artificial vines and whimsical fairy lights, the scene made me feel like I’d stumbled upon an enchanted North Georgian cat forest—a dream come true for an ailurophile who also loves the Warriors book series by Erin Hunter. One might even describe the aesthetic as “kitten core.”
Walking into the second cat room, I found an oasis for feline and human alike. Cat trees crafted from real wood and a maze of wall shelves provided places for the cats to live their best cat life. This room was outfitted with a sofa, a wall-length cushioned bench, and an Instagram-worthy nook seated under a jungle of artificial greenery and a neon sign advertising the name of the café.
I could see myself bringing a few friends back with me to relax on one of the many seating areas and spend a peaceful afternoon watching cats. Motown music from the 70s played softly in the background and a TV silently displayed the names, pictures, and bios of the adoptable cats. A beautiful white brick fireplace displayed an image of an warm orange flame under the TV, but of course, it was only a simulation, not a real fire that would be dangerous to the cats.
One sweet black cat, Dots, rested in a macramé hanging cat bed in the window, and I gently pushed the swing as she rested. Sitting on the sofa with a black coffee, I watched a cat hop across the wooden plank shelves mounted to the wall and scramble on top of a pergola. Thick netting covered the pergola, allowing the cats to scurry across the expanse overhead while remaining visible to visitors like me. With the acrobatics of a swashbuckling swordsman, another cat stalked the one who had just crossed the nautical netting. He pounced on the cat and then they chased each other to the other side of the pergola.
The coffee was forgotten as I watched what seemed like a scene from a Pirates of the Caribbean movie play out on the rafters above me. After a brief hiss and swat, they resumed their leisurely activities. To be fair, no one got hurt, but I had a feeling that these two had some bad blood and might reignite their battles in the morning.
While that chaos ensued, another cat named Tucker rested on a cushioned bench. A volunteer told me that Tucker had just arrived from the shelter that morning and was still acclimating to everything. He was doing a great job.
As much as they want every foster to make themselves at home, Kristy said that sometimes things don’t work out. If the cat in question doesn’t seem to have an agreeable temperament, they have to swap them for another shelter cat to ensure the safety of the other animals—not to mention the human visitors. Tucker was oblivious to whatever social order he’d walked into that morning. Black and white with a chunky physique and a gentle demeanor, this cat was quite above the drama even while the others were entangled with their ceiling adventures. Tucker even let me hold him for a few pictures. The cafe provides a place for cats like him to interact with humans (and get his picture posted on Instagram), which increases his probability of finding a home soon.
Conclusion
From macrame ropes swings to whimsical string lights, Entangled Cat Café embodies a boho-styled aesthetic filled with vines and ropes. Of course, the adorable adoptable felines attach the most critical strings straight to your heart. A cup of coffee or tea provides more than enough time for a playful kitten to catch your eye, and while you might not think you’re going on a blind date with a cat, you may find yourself in just the right place at the right time to meet a furever friend. Whether you visit for a meeting, book club, date, or study session, you’re sure to find two things with every visit: good coffee and plenty of cats.
