New study spot for TU students to look forward to next semester.
Later this year, a cat cafe is hoping to open in The Farm shopping center. Don’t Stress Meowt, lives by three Cs: Coffee, Cats and Cuddles. Currently open in Oklahoma City, the company is excited to open a new location in Tulsa.
When Adam Fitzpatrick and his wife opened their cat cafe in OKC, it was quickly a success. After a trip to Florida, they got the idea to open a shop in Oklahoma. In May of 2023, their idea came to fruition and their cafe was finally opened to the public, becoming Oklahoma’s first cat cafe. An enclosure separates the cats to comply with food and health regulations to keep patrons safe. Fitzpatrick told KJRH, “We don’t mix cats and coffee. You can take the coffee in the cat lounge if you like.” Litter boxes and a safe place for cats who are tired of visiting with humans are located in a private room.
Their OKC location advertises “your favorite coffee shop beverages and eats, including kid-friendly options for family visits and a local beer/wine selection for adult patrons.” They also provide patrons with free wifi. Patrons who want to visit the cat lounge need to make a reservation and pay $15 to spend an hour with the cats. A portion of the admission fee is donated to a non-profit organization, and the lounge is limited to no more than eight people per time slot. Walk-ins are based on availability, so the cafe recommends that reservations be made in advance.
Don’t Stress Meowt is partnered with a non-profit organization that provides adoptable cats to the cafe. In just five months, the cafe adopted out 75 cats and donated approximately $8,000 to Safe Haven Pet Adoption.
While their OKC location has been extremely successful, the Fitzpatrick’s struggled to find a Tulsa space. They almost leased out the former 918 Coffee location near 11th and Lewis, but the deal fell through. Fitzpatrick was exploring options outside of Tulsa, such as Broken Arrow or Sand Springs, but luckily managed to secure a Tulsa location.
Located about 7 miles from The University of Tulsa’s campus, Fitzpatrick told the Tulsa World that the Tulsa location is “nearly twice the square footage of our Oklahoma City location.” He continued, “so that will give us more room to do a lot of neat things.” The new location will house more cats and be able to serve more customers. Just like the OKC location, all of the cats will be separated from the cafe portion of the business with an option to enter the cat area at one’s own discretion.
Fitzpatrick is hoping to open the location in the fall, telling the Tulsa World, “We’d like to be open before the holiday season, so we have all our systems working when kids will be out of school and may want to come and play with the cats.” He also told the Tulsa World that the Tulsa SPCA and Skiatook Paws and Claws have reached out, offering to supply cats to the cafe.
