Feline Good: Toledo’s first cat cafe is on the horizon

TOLEDO, Ohio — Cat cafes are growing in popularity — and Toledo’s first is on the way — but that’s not the only first RubyCats will earn once it opens: it will be a nonprofit cat cafe, where you can play with or adopt a homeless cat. I spoke with Natalie Bostelman, director of operations for the soon-to-be cat cafe on Adams Street, for more on her connection and what you can expect.

“We’re going to have wonderful volunteers helping us out. So many people approach us saying, ‘Can I volunteer?’ ‘What can I do to help?’”

She says once open, reservations will be required, but it’s all a part of enhancing the experience.

“It’s just better that way, that way we know how many people are coming in; give ourselves time to reset, if necessary, do some cleaning, and all that fun stuff, so you have some wonderful time to socialize with the feline friends that are there.”

Despite all this feline talk, Bostelman revealed a surprising life detail during our interview.

“Funnily enough, I’m one of those people who can’t have a cat in their home at this present time, so for me to be able to get that cozy time with cats has always been a plus.”

And she says ahead of RubyCats’ opening, there has been excitement in the community. She recalls one moment at the Toledo Pride Parade.

“We were socializing with people and we’d mention and say, hey, we’re gonna walk right by it, it’s on Adams, and we’d mention it’s a cat cafe. People started just screaming. It sounds like they want it here; a lot of people love cats and this is a great opportunity to socialize with them outside of your home, so I’m looking forward to it, it’s going to be amazing.”

She tells me the tentative opening time is the summer of next year. However, you can stay up-to-date by visiting rubycats.org to sign up for the newsletter and follow on Facebook and Instagram.