Cat cafes are common in Asia, where cafe patrons drink and eat among furry friends, perhaps getting the comforts of a pet that they cannot get at home. However, the popularity of cat cafes has spread across the world, and now one has opened in Santa Clara.
Sisters-in-law Ailee Kim and Christine Hedeen opened Nabi Cat Cafe on The Alameda near Santa Clara University in late March, and there’s already a buzz.
Guests like Guliana are repeat visitors, and they bring their friends. Guliana told The Weekly there’s something special about Nabi Cat Cafe.
“This cafe, it’s smaller, it’s more intimate. The coffee is fabulous. The coffee’s amazing,” said Guliana.
Sulgi, who has visited cat cafes in Asia, said there’s a lot about Nabi Cat to like.
“There’s more cat trees and play stuff for the cats. I like it. It’s a cafe too, so you can actually sit down,” said Sulgi, who has three cats of her own, but jumped at the opportunity to meet more.
Reviews like that excite Kim and Hedeen. They’ve worked hard to make Nabi Cat Cafe not just a business but a labor of love.
The drinks are Korean-inspired. The matcha tea is sourced from Jeju Island in Korea rather than Japan. As for the cats, they’re all available for adoption thanks to Town Cats, a Morgan Hill-based nonprofit.
“We’re happy we can create a temporary space for them to enjoy,” said Hedeen. “Some of them, we don’t know their backstories, but some, coming from shelters, have very confined spaces or unfortunate living situations. So, we’re hoping that they have a little bit more room to crawl in. We try to create a very calming, cozy environment, but also fun for them to have stimulation with humans.”
It’s the ability for patrons to adopt cats that helped give the Nabi Cat Cafe its name. While nabi means “butterfly” in Korean, it is also a nickname for stray cats in Korea.
After two weeks of business, three of the five cats featured at the Nabi Cat Cafe have new homes. Kim and Hedeen were overjoyed, especially knowing how a pet can change a person’s life; after all, it’s how the idea to start Nabi Cat Cafe came about.
“The idea kind of started three-ish years ago. She [Christine] vaguely kind of put out, ‘Let’s start a cat cafe,’ because she adopted a cat named Misu, and I think she just kind of changed her whole life,” recalled Kim, who has two adopted dogs of her own.
And while working with family can be difficult for some, Kim and Hedeen embrace it.
“Definitely nice working with family,” said Hedeen. “I feel like it’s a good blend of being comfortable, very loyal and passionate about seeing it through. That’s been really cool, very reliable.”
The Nabi Cat Cafe isn’t just for cat lovers. The cafe is carefully divided from the cat area, with two doors separating the two spaces. Visitors with cat allergies can enjoy the drinks without worrying about sneezing.
Nabi Cat Cafe is located at 2255 The Alameda in Santa Clara, just down the street from the university. It’s open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. While the cafe serves drinks to all visitors, if you would like to experience the cat cafe, you should make a reservation on the website at nabicatcafe.com.
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