It’s that time of year where we’re on the last page of the calendar for 2015. We can’t believe the year has gone by so quickly! It seems like just a short time ago when The Cat Cafe was first opening.

With the year about to end, this means that a lot of you are shopping for calendars. You could go to a big box store and get a calendar, but the one we’re about to tell you about will be a lot more fun!

Some of you may know that one of the personal cats of the team here at The Cat Cafe is a diabetic cat. Bagheera the Diabetic Cat has become quite popular on Facebook and he writes blog posts on a close to daily basis. And one of the organizations that Bagheera likes to support is Diabetic Cats in Need.

Bagheera participated in a contest to raise funds for Diabetic Cats in Need. He was hoping to be one of the cats that’s featured as the diabetic cat of the month, but that didn’t happen. His photo is still in the calendar, and we have to say he looks good!

We have a limited number of these calendars available at The Cat Cafe, and we’ll sell them for our cost of $25 plus tax. If you want one of these shipped to you, we’ll charge an additional $6 for shipping, which is our cost to ship.

These cool calendars are a great way for you to keep track of 2016 while you support an organization devoted to helping diabetic cats and their people. Diabetic Cats in Need has helped rescue hundreds of diabetic cats and they have also helped thousands of people who needed a hand dealing with the challenges that come from caring for a diabetic cat.

We’re proud to support the good work of this organization at The Cat Cafe and hope you’ll support them by purchasing a calendar!

As a small business, we here at The Cat Cafe look to support other small businesses. That is why our coffee comes not from a huge multi-national corporate entity, but from West Coast Coffee Roasters and Cafe Virtuoso. It’s why our pastries come from Bread & Cie, our cookies come from The Cravory and why we’ve partnered with the Lazy Hippo.

Supporting other small businesses is part of The Cat Cafe’s mindset, and it’s one of the reasons why we’re happy to announce that we are partnering with Meowtel to cover adoption expenses for the month of December.

From now until the end of the December or eight adoptions, Meowtel will cover the adoption fee for all adult cats. It’s great that Meowtel will help The Cat Cafe send kitties to good homes!

What is Meowtel? Meowtel takes the process of finding a cat sitter, which can be difficult and require a lot of work, and makes it a lot easier. Instead of having to call vets, shelters, and other facilities, you go to Meowtel’s website, enter the location where you want to find a host and the dates that you need one, and you’ll be provided with names of hosts who will take in your cat.

It’s a hassle free stay for your cat when you can’t take care of them for whatever reason. And Meowtel believes in giving back to the animal welfare community, so they provide a free listing service for adoptable cats!

We here at The Cat Cafe are very happy that Meowtel has chosen to work with us in order to make it a little easier to find homes for adoptable cats. Hopefully we will be able to adopt eight cats between now and the end of the year, which would take us to 115 total adoptions.

Come on in to visit us here at The Cat Cafe and to celebrate the partnership with Meowtel!

When we started The Cat Cafe, one of the things we wanted to do is find homes for adoptable animals. Our initial goal was to have one adoption a week. We are very happy to announce that we have gone well past that goal as we reached 100 adoptions in less than 11 months.

Adoptions number 99 and 100 took place on November 14, and the two cats couldn’t have been more different in personality. The only thing Stella, who was adoption 99, shared in common with the 100th adoption was that she had some black fur and that she is a cat.

Many of you never got the chance to meet Stella. She arrived on Tuesday of last week, and she didn’t spend much time in the playpen. However, some potential adopters saw her photo and decided that they wanted to meet her. Once they did, they decided that Stella was the right cat for them and they took her home that same day.

Adoption number 100 was Atticus. He couldn’t be more different than Stella. While Stella was a little shy and wanted to spend her time in the retreat, Atticus could be found entertaining customers and staff alike. His high activity level demanded a home where it would be not just tolerated but enjoyed, and he found the right home for that.

Atticus went to a home where the woman who adopted him fell in love at first sight. She came back several times in the two weeks that past before she decided to adopt him. We are very happy that he’s going to a home where someone who cares for him that much will be able to enjoy him.

And yes, we did send Atticus home with his Wookie toy. For some reason, all the other cats knew that was his toy and didn’t play with it much. It’s only fitting he took it home.

We here at The Cat Cafe want to thank everyone who made this milestone possible. Without the help of our customers, staff, supporters, and of course our amazing animal welfare partner, San Diego Humane Society, this could not have happened.

The Cat Cafe is happy to have reached this milestone and we look forward to sending even more cats to great homes. With your continued support, we’ll be able to make that happen.

Generally, we get adult cats at The Cat Cafe. San Diego Humane Society tends to do well placing kittens, so we generally get adult cats, who are a little more difficult to place. People tend to snap up kittens right away and so they don’t stay at San Diego Humane Society for long enough for them to be brought to The Cat Cafe.

That’s why we might have one or two kittens in on an occasional basis but why we generally have mostly adult cats. It’s definitely very unusual for us to have three kittens running around our playpen — in fact, it’s likely this is the first time it’s happened!

We heard from San Diego Humane Society that for some reason, a lot of five month old kittens have been surrendered. And we’ve got three of those five month old kittens here at The Cat Cafe.

In addition to Moose, who you learned about previously, two five month old brothers arrived yesterday.

Boots is a cat whose name definitely fits. His front paws have what our contact at San Diego Humane Society said is a French manicure. And on his hind paws, he has full boots. Combine that with a white triangle on his chest that turns into a stripe that goes down his belly to his tail, and you have a very striking cat. He’s kind of a reverse Pepe Le Pew, only he smells a lot better.

His brother Otis is all black. That means he’s likely to go without a home for the longest, and that’s really a shame. As we’ve posted before, instead of being afraid when a black cat crosses your path, you should pet it!

Both of these guys are playful and fun kittens who would be wonderful additions to your home. They can go separately, but wouldn’t it be fun to take the two brothers home with you?

And before you ask, yes, you can adopt black cats around Halloween. There haven’t been any documented cases of black cats being abused in the San Diego area in a long time, and the screening process we do during adoptions is a big reason for that.

Come on in to meet Otis, Boots, and the rest of our adoptable cats at The Cat Cafe.

It’s always a fun day at The Cat Cafe when new cats arrive. That means that someone went to a good home. It’s also fun to know that we’re getting new cats that someone will fall in love with and give a home to.

Sometimes, our new arrivals get adopted so quickly that we can’t even tell you about them. That is what happened with a cat named Remy. She was here for less than four hours before she went home with her new family.

The cat who came in with her, and who is still here, is named Moose. We’re not sure why he got that name, because he looks more like a cow than a moose, but we don’t really mind. We typically don’t get kittens, but that’s what Moose is. He arrived at San Diego Humane Society because there were too many animals in his home, and he’s taken no time at all making The Cat Cafe his new home.

Once Moose gets comfortable with you, he demands attention with a very cute but insistent meow. So far, nobody has been able to resist it. Will you be the first one to not give in to him?

We are also happy to announce a new special here at The Cat Cafe. We love our pastries from Bread & Cie and we want you to enjoy them. And on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday afternoons, you’ll be able to enjoy them at a lower price.

On these days, after 1 PM, when you purchase one of our pastries, you’ll get a second one at 50 percent off. That means you can have one here, and take one home! Some of our customers have mentioned they’d love to have a pastry at home, and now we’re making it less costly to do so.

As always, we love seeing you here at The Cat Cafe. Come on in, meet our kitties, and take one of our delicious pastries home with you!

It’s interesting how things work out here at The Cat Cafe. For a while, we had mostly orange tabbies. Then we had a lot of black cats. Then there were lots of brown tabbies.

After Elsa went to her reunion with her sister Pocahontas, we had no orange tabbies. That changed with our latest arrival.

Damien is an orange tabby with an interesting background. He was turned in to Department of Animal Services. This county department takes in a lot of strays and abandoned animals. Often, these animals are transferred to San Diego Humane Society and some of them end up with us.

Damien was transferred to San Diego Humane Society because he had a broken tooth. How or why this happened is something we don’t know. But what we do know is that Damien is a very affectionate and fun cat.

How do we know this after less than a day with him at The Cat Cafe? It’s in his medical record. When he was transferred to San Diego Humane Society, an intake exam was done. In the notes, the veterinarian taking him in noted that they were unable to listen to his heart and lungs because he was purring!

Anyone who has ever taken a cat in to a veterinarian knows that purring is a very unusual reaction to an examination. And that is how we know that Damien is a very affectionate cat! We’re very happy to have him with us at The Cat Cafe. Once he gets into the playpen, it’s likely we won’t have him for long!

In addition to Damien’s arrival, there may be additional menu items arriving for you to enjoy. We’re looking at getting wraps and sandwiches or partnering with a local restaurant so that you can join us for for a full breakfast or lunch. It’s something many visitors to The Cat Cafe have commented on and we’re working on it.

Come on in, meet Damien and the other 11 cats and enjoy a cup of coffee!

At The Cat Cafe, we’ve had a lot of luck adopting siblings out. We sent two bonded pairs of cats, Hoodo and Maru as well as Mango and Pineapple, home recently.

Because of this, San Diego Humane Society likes to send us siblings, some bonded, some not. And among the cats to arrive at The Cat Cafe in the past few days are two pairs of siblings.

The first pair of siblings that came in were two senior cats, Coco and Oreo. They’re both ten years old, and they are very social. They were roaming around in the playpen on the same day that they arrived.

Coco arrived at San Diego Humane Society because of a move to a place where cats are not allowed. She’s a little more engaging and active than her brother Oreo, who you will meet in a moment. At one point, she was an indoor/outdoor cat but because of her age, it’s recommended that she be an indoor only cat.

Oreo is a little more reserved than Coco, but he’s also a friendly and engaging cat. You might have to listen to him complain a little bit until he gets to know you, but even when he’s complaining, he’s happy to receive friendly pets.

These ten year old cats have been together all their lives and they must go home together.

The next group of siblings that recently arrived at The Cat Cafe is a pair of brothers. Their names are Clyde and Max. Max is the more interactive of the two, and he is a little smaller, weighing 8.6 pounds. He’s a fun cat, and at six, he’s going to be a long time companion for the right family!

Clyde is a little bigger than his brother, and he’s a little more quiet. He’s 10.5 pounds, and the way you can tell the two of them apart is because Clyde has a little white spot on his nose. Like his brother, he is six years old. It’s a lot of fun to watch these two brothers interact.

But maybe a pair of siblings isn’t for you. A few single cats arrived at The Cat Cafe recently,

The first one we will introduce you to is named Jade. We don’t have too much information on her because she came in when a kind person picked her up as a stray. She was transferred in from San Diego Department of Animal Services because she needed a good teeth cleaning. She’s estimated to be five years old, and she’s around nine pounds.

Like brown tabbies but want a boy? Well, at The Cat Cafe, we’ve got a handsome and loving boy named Oliver for you to meet. Oliver is a fun cat, and he’s a big boy, weighing close to 15 pounds. Don’t worry, though, this five year old cat is still nimble and agile, and he likes to hop onto the shelves in both the playpen and the retreat.

Some people like feisty cats. If that’s you, then you need to meet Primrose at The Cat Cafe. She’s not shy about letting both people and cats know her boundaries and she will growl at you to tell you to back off. But if you give her time and space and get to know her on her terms, this eight year old, 12 pound girl can be a lot of fun. It’s very rewarding to win her trust because it’s hard to get!

Come on by The Cat Cafe, enjoy a locally roasted coffee or espresso drink, and meet these new kitties as well as some of our longer term residents.

Werewolf is a restaurant just a few blocks away from The Cat Cafe which believes in giving back to the community. They have community nights throughout the year where they give ten percent of the receipts to a community organization. When they contacted The Cat Cafe we were very happy that they selected us for one of these events.

On Thursday, September 3, between 6:00 and 10:00 PM, ten percent of the sales generated will go to our partner San Diego Humane Society. We’re really excited about the opportunity for our customers and fans to enjoy good food and drink knowing that a portion of their tab will go to help animals.

In addition to the community night proceeds, we will also be selling cookies from The Cravory and pastries from Bread & Cie. And we’ll be raffling off merchandise from The Cat Cafe as well.

Come on out and join us — if this event is a successful one, we will do more of them in the future.

And if you can’t make the event and want to stop on in to The Cat Cafe, we’ve got a couple of new boys for you to meet. They are a bonded pair, so they must go home together. When you see them, you’ll want to take both home anyway.

Hoodu is the first of these two boys. He’s a little more outgoing and sociable, and he’s a blue and white tabby. This four year old, eleven pound boy has some beautiful blue eyes and a cute pink nose. He also likes to talk to people he knows.

Maru is a little more shy, but he’s a very handsome and loving cat. He is also four years old like his brother, but he’s a bigger, weighing 15 pounds. Both Maru and his brother were surrendered to San Diego Humane Society because their family moved to a place where animals were not allowed.

We hope to see you at the community night event, but if not, come on in and see these two new boys who have joined us at The Cat Cafe.

It’s taken a while for us to get close to our full load of cats. This is because Clear the Shelters Day was very successful for both The Cat Cafe and San Diego Humane Society. We sent three cats home on that day, and because hundreds of animals went home at San Diego Humane Society, there weren’t as many cats to choose from.

But while it may have taken a while, our clowder got a little bigger. We’re up to eleven cats now, which is just one less than our typical level of a dozen cats.

The cats who joined us are all girls. That really changed the balance between boys and girls. Right now, we have four boys (Theodore, Rocky, Dodger, and Mariner) and eight girls. At The Cat Cafe, we try to keep the balance even but obviously that didn’t happen. It doesn’t really matter, though, and the new arrivals are fitting right in.

Cathy is the oldest member of the new arrivals. She’s a senior kitty, at ten years and six months. She’s also a little on the small size, weighing in at eight pounds. Cathy is a little shy, and she’s spending most of her time in the cat retreat. She’s very sweet, though, and loves being pet and spoken to softly. If she’s happy and lifts her tail because of it, you’ll get to see an adorable little white spot on a black tail.

Mango came to us with her sister, who you’ll meet in a moment. She’s the bigger and shyer of the two cats. Mango is about a year and a half old and she’s a relatively large cat, weighing 12.4 pounds. Although Mango may be shy, she’s very friendly and if you approach her properly, she enjoys gentle petting.

Pineapple is a little smaller than Mango and she’s also a little more outgoing. Like her sister, she’s a year and a half old, but she is a little smaller. She was quick to investigate the cat playpen when she arrived at The Cat Cafe. Although she has been spending most of her time in the cat retreat, when she comes out, she’s very cute!

Come and meet the new arrivals at The Cat Cafe and say hello to the other eight cats who have been with us for a bit.