Happy Cat Cafe in Grand Rapids provides a space for foster cats and potential cat adopters to meet. The cafe partners with the local rescue, Fig and Friends, to house cats until they find their forever homes. However, on Tuesday, the cafe was faced with an unexpected and concerning situation.
Owner Kati Quarto shared that someone opened the cafe door and threw a cat inside just before noon. “Someone just walked up to our door and threw a cat inside,” Quarto said. “We’ve had cats dropped off before, usually in carriers or boxes left outside, but this is the first time someone threw a cat directly into the cafe.”
There are multiple reasons why this is problematic, with safety being the foremost concern. “We’re located on Division Avenue, and we wouldn’t want the cat to run outside. Our cafe has a double door system with a vestibule to help ensure their safety,” Quarto explained.
Fortunately, Quarto was nearby to see the cat and prevent it from escaping into the busy street outside.
Another major issue was that the cafe wasn’t prepared to take the cat in. “The cat wasn’t fixed, and we didn’t know its background, such as vaccination status, so we couldn’t just bring it into the cafe,” Quarto explained.
The cat was kept in a carrier for the rest of the day until a representative from Fig and Friends could arrive around 5 p.m. to ensure the cat received the proper care. “Fig and Friends will ensure she gets fixed, and she’ll be put up for adoption,” said Quarto. “She’s a very sweet cat with a lovely disposition, so I’m confident she will be adopted.”
Quarto was relieved that Fig and Friends could help. “She’s safe with them now. Our facility doesn’t have a quarantine area, so we rely on Fig and Friends to bring in pre-quarantined cats for our cat lounge,” she added.
This was not the first time the cafe has faced such an emergency. Quarto recalled an instance where someone left a box of very young kittens outside the door. Without proper warmth, some of the kittens unfortunately passed away. “Kittens need to stay warm, and we aren’t equipped to handle these kinds of situations,” Quarto explained.
While Quarto hopes to one day expand the cafe to accommodate more cats, for now, they rely on rescues and local municipalities for handling cats surrendered by the public.
For those who find a cat or are unable to care for one, Quarto offered advice. “If you’re struggling to afford food, look into food pantries for animals. The Humane Society also offers programs to help low-income cat owners keep their pets,” she suggested.
For anyone who finds a stray or cannot keep a cat, Quarto recommended reaching out to rescues and shelters that are better equipped to handle such situations. She emphasized the importance of calling ahead in emergencies. “If you had called us first, we could have been prepared. Dropping a cat off like that isn’t safe for the animal or for the people involved,” she said.
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