The Kickstarter, which was opened two weeks ago, so far is up to $13,000 – with another $12,000 needed to get the café off the ground.
Entrepreneurial husband-wife team Alyssa O’Connor and Nate Ball are the minds behind the project – both of who volunteer for Cat Rescue Christchurch.
O’Connor says Christchurch’s current situation is perfect for the environment for the café.
“The city is open to change and innovation in a way that perhaps we weren’t before, and there are so many homeless cats and kittens that need our help.”
Alyssa and Nate’s cat, Jango.
The proposed ‘Catnap’ café will help with the new trend of cat cafes opening globally, and here in New Zealand.
Both Rotorua and Auckland were first on the cat café train for New Zealand and now Christchurch is joining in.
Catnap’s Kickstarter says it is the perfect way to work alongside these organisations to increase the number of cats being re-homed.
The café will provide both a permanent home for several resident rescue cats and a foster home for rescue cats and kittens that will be available for the public to adopt.
The café has received backing from Cat Rescue Christchurch – an organisation that has re-homed over 4500 stray cats and kittens since 2006.
Alyssa and Nate’s cat, Juno.
Although the café will largely be catered towards the cat café experience, it will be divided into two areas; food and cats.
The café also plans to hold special events outside of normal business hours, including yoga and birthday parties, to which the website rightly says “all made better by the presence of cats.”
The project is designed to help reduce the stray cat population in Christchurch and to promote adoption.
To express their love of animals, the café will be vegetarian and vegan only, with great coffee and baked goods available.
The café plans have been put underway, O’Connor and Ball have begun searching for a suitable location in Christchurch, aiming to open in February 2018.
