“Where do the cats come from?”
This is one of the top questions that we’ve been receiving from you guys as we spread the word about affoGATO Cat Cafe. And we’re happy to say that we can finally tell the world:
We will be helping the Cleveland Animal Protective League’s adoptable cats!
The Cleveland Animal Protective League’s mission is to foster compassion and end animal suffering. Incorporated in 1913, the APL an independent, 501(c)(3), nonprofit humane society located in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood.
The APL provides a variety of important services, including shelter for homeless animals, adoption services, spay/neuter services to qualified individuals and organizations in need, humane investigations, and project CARE (Community Animal Retention Effort). The APL plays an especially critical role for the cats in our community because it is the only shelter that will accept a stray or abandoned cat and it offers a robust Trap-Neuter-Return program.
The Cleveland APL helps more than 13,000 animals a year through a variety of progressive programs, and we’re extremely proud to be helping them with this important, lifesaving work. It’s our hope that together, affoGATO Cat Cafe and the Cleveland Animal Protective League can help rescue even more homeless cats!
How Does This Work?
We will host some of the APL’s friendliest adoptable rescue cats at affoGATO Cat Cafe. They’ll be mostly free to roam the cafe as they please, and will be given tons of sunny window perches, fun toys, and more.
You can come relax and hang out with them whenever. No pressure or guilt like a pet store; we’re just happy you’re pampering the cats like the superstars they are! But if you do fall in love with a cat (or, let’s be real, a cat chooses you), then you can adopt them right at affoGATO!
This is a win for all involved. You get to hang out with the most awesome rescue cats specially-picked by the APL, and maybe find a new furever friend. And by hosting adoptable cats at the café, more space will be available for cats to be rescued at the Cleveland APL!
So is affoGATO Cat Cafe part of the Cleveland APL?
No, we are two separate organizations, teaming up to help Cleveland’s homeless cats by finding them new homes.
However, we have similar missions, so if you are interested in affoGATO, we strongly encourage you to help Cleveland’s cats and dogs by supporting the Cleveland Animal Protective League, too!
Other Updates
We have had a ton of AMAZING people already reaching out wanting to help out affoGATO. Our fundraiser will officially launch TOMORROW (5/3/18) on Go Fund Me, with all types of rewards, including exclusive donor-only gear and early access to the cafe. Volunteer, artist, and merchant applications will also go up once we have picked a firm opening date (mid-summer).
We also believe that we’ve found our perfect cafe space, so we hope to be able to share some good news on that front very soon!
But in the meantime, we strongly encourage you to help Cleveland’s homeless cats and dogs by supporting the Cleveland Animal Protective League! Volunteer info can be found here. affoGATO’s fundraising is completely separate from the APL’s, so please also consider donating to them as well.
Thank you all for the incredible outpouring of excitement and encouragement that we’ve received. Your kind emails and messages have made us more motivated than ever, and we can’t wait to bring you Cleveland’s first cat cafe!