MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Rutherford County cat cafe is hoping to turn around their financial luck.

Catefeine Cat Café, located on Cason Lane near the Old Fort Parkway exit of Interstate 24, experienced a slower summer season than usual. According to Owner Taura Byrd, this summer saw about a 30% drop in business compared to previous years.

Unfortunately, that slump has affected their later season operations. Byrd told News 2 the summer months usually help tide the café over as students return to the classroom in August.

With the precipitous drop in business, Byrd took to social media, putting out a call to cat lovers in Rutherford County and beyond.

"For the first time in 6 years, I’m worried about our future," Byrd said in the post. "We just want to remind everyone that we’re here, and that we need your support. We work so hard to bring a happy place and safe haven for cats and people in our community."

According to Byrd, the first inklings came toward the beginning of the year.

"We started to notice pretty early in the year that we weren't seeing the amount of visitors that we had seen in the past, and we chalked it up to the economy is not great—the price of groceries is up—so we figured families were having to make those tough decisions on, you know, 'Do we have the funds to go to the cat café?'" she told News 2. "Then when we got to summer we really noticed a down[turn] from prior years."

That drop in visitors put the business in "a little bit of a panic mode," Byrd said, because mid-August to about October is usually the slower season.

Luckily, the Murfreesboro and cat-loving community has stepped up in a big way for the café.

"We literally have cried because people have just stepped up," Byrd said.

Over the Labor Day Weekend, Byrd said the number of Amazon package deliveries has skyrocketed, and the reservations for the cafe booked up completely. A reel posted to their social media showed three consecutive days of larger quantities of cat food, litter, and more showing up at the café in carts from delivery drivers.

"We were sold out all weekend, and a lot of people were saying, 'Yeah, I can't believe I forgot about you guys!'" she told News 2. "But yeah, they showed up and they showed out! We are so grateful to have such a supportive community."

While the business was happy to see the immediate response, Byrd said a sustained enthusiasm will better help the business navigate the slower months through the remainder of the year.

"As much as we loved and appreciate it, we need it to continue to be as much support as we can get," Byrd said. "We certainly would need that to continue to help keep us afloat."

The cafe serves not only its own rescue, Tennessee Whiskers, but also helps Rutherford County Cat Rescue, and several other smaller, surrounding county rescues, such as Spay It Forward in Cannon County and All Aboard Animal Rescue in Eagleville. All the rescue organizations work through fosters, according to Byrd, so Catfeine serves as an alternative "shelter" for the groups.

"That's why our facility is so important to them, because this gives them an opportunity to have somewhere for their kitties to come to be seen and get adopted," Byrd added. "We're more like a home environment. They thrive in this environment. They're not in a cage here."

In addition to regular day visits, Byrd said the cafe is working on their events calendar for September and October. Some things coming up at the cafe include the return of cat yoga, as well as some trivia nights, a murder mystery night, and a make-your-own planter night. That full calendar will be available on their website and social media pages, per Byrd.

The best way to support the business is to visit in person, Byrd said, but those who want to help but can't make it to the café physically can also donate financially through their website.

All the donations received are put toward the care for the nearly 20 cats they keep on-site at any given time, from food, litter, medicine, veterinary care, and toys.

"It's a lot of little mouths to feed, for sure," Byrd said.

Luckily, the Amazon donations have more than taken care of the physical needs of the cats in the café. Byrd said the biggest help would be to visit the café and maybe see about adopting a cat of your own.

To visit Catfeine Cat Café, book a reservation online here.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/middle-tn-neighborhood-news/community-steps-up-for-murfreesboro-cat-cafe-after-dip-in-summer-business/