The cutest, most adorable thing happened last Sunday—I met a passel of fluffy kittens! Axum Coffee of Winter Garden and The Animal League non-profit have partnered and opened Orlando’s first cat café.
The Café
Axum Coffee is one of the precious few coffee houses in Orlando (top 5 list coming soon!) where you can get a bomba** pour over. When ordering for the manual brew at an Axum, there’s usually a nice selection of single-source coffee beans to choose from. I went with the Axum Roastery Burundi Kayanza—rich, full-flavored, and smooth like chocolate—no sugar, creamer, or milk needed. Simply heaven.
Even better: All profits go to humanitarian efforts in Axum, Ethiopia.
They also had a posh pesto tomato mozzarella quiche otherwise known as the perfect way to round out a morning. A full breakfast on a nommy pastry crust. I couldn’t ask for more, except I knew there was a chance I could cuddle a few kittens.
The Felines
The café and the kitten play area are separated by a wall and 2-door entrance system to avoid any door-dashing. Visiting with the kittens requires a reservations 24 hours in advance. Visitors must check-in inside Axum Coffee at the register to pay a small entrance fee to feed, house, and maintain all the kittens. Each reservation is for 1 hour, and you can bring any coffee or food bought on the café into the kitten play area. The café personnel only work in the café, and The Animal League volunteers only work in the kitten play area.
Possibly 1 or 2 walk-ins can be accommodated every hour. That’s it, so I was really lucky I was able to join my friends during their reservation period to meet the kittens. All I had to do was remember to sanitize my hands and let the kittens come to me—easy peasy! I just had to restrain myself from adopting all of those cuties.
Yes, adopt! All kittens are adoptable. Volunteers can explain in detail about the temperament of each fluffy ball of cuteness. Fill out an adoption application from the TheAnimalLeague.org to to speed up the adoption process when you arrive for your café playtime.
Amazing coffee, comforting food, and cute kittens—I keep my Orlando Cat Café rewards card in my wallet because I know I’ll be back soon.
Orlando Cat Café | Axum Coffee
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