Interaction with cats can make an experience even more meaningful. El Jefe Cat Café, a space with adoptable cats and kittens, offers different types of experiences with feline friends. 

The café will host Yoga with Cats Sunday, Aug. 23, Crochet with Cats Aug. 23, Cat Bingo Sunday Aug. 23 and 30 and Sound Bath Group Meditation with Cats Friday, Sept. 11. 

Cat lovers can also reserve lounge hours, during which they are able to play and cuddle with cats. 

The café has three floors, which are home to an average of 30 adult cats and 12 kittens. They come to the café from three animal rescues. 

Tiffany Lee opened the cat café seven years ago in October. Before this, she had a background in sales and marketing and owned a woodworking business. 

She had cats in the past when she was a kid and when her children were growing up. Owning a cat café has made her more knowledgeable about caring for cats. 

“I knew a little bit about cats, but I’ve learned so much about cats now,” Lee said. 

She was inspired to start her business after going to La Gattara in Tempe, which is now PHX Cat Café.  

“I enjoyed my visit there. I was like, ‘This helps cats. This helps people.’ I felt like the world was getting really, really stressful, and I wanted to have a business that had more of a purpose. It has a social purpose, and then it also helps cats. It’s a win-win,” Lee said. 

The café has been offering interactive events since the beginning. 

Cat Bingo is recommended for ages 5 and older. It is held every Sunday at the café. 

The event has two rounds of Bingo along with time to interact with cats. 

“Cat Bingo is all the different cat breeds, so it’s literally ‘cat bingo.’ It’ll be like Siamese or Burmese. You have to cover your board when we call out the breed of the cat,” Lee said. 

Yoga with Cats is open to different skill levels. The classes are led by an instructor from YogaOasis. 

Mats are provided for yoga because of the cats. 

“If you put something down, they get right on it, like a piece of paper or a box. So, when we put yoga mats down, they get on the mats. We don’t want people to ruin their own mats with the cats clawing on them, so we provide mats,” Lee said. 

The sound bath meditation events are hosted by local musician Natalie Pohanic. Guests are able to bring blankets and pillows. 

“[Natalie] plays her rainbow crystal bowls for an hour. You just lay down and relax, and the cats will sometimes come and lay with you. They walk around in between everybody,” Lee said. 

For Crochet with Cats, supplies are provided. 

During events, food and beverages are available at the café. This includes espresso drinks, Italian sodas, gelato, affogato, muffins, cinnamon rolls and chips. 

Cats will often engage with people and objects in the room during special events. 

“I used to call Bingo. I used to tell them I wasn’t going to repeat cats if they got distracted. These were my distractors, and they were working for the house… The funniest thing is when they put their heads in the crystal bowls for the sound healing meditation nights. They get very curious about the crystal bowls,” Lee said. 

Lee said their events offer a different type of experience for a date night or a group outing. 

Often, guests will come back to the café with different groups of people. 

Over the years, they have had people from a number of different countries come into the café. 

“We have a map with pins from people from all over the world that have come to visit us,” Lee said. 

For some people, the café holds special memories. 

“We’ve had weddings here before. One couple had their first date here, so they wanted to have their wedding here. They came in for a regular lounge hour on a first date. It is a fun date spot for a second date, everyone says….You can talk more, and you can also find out if they like cats,” Lee said. 

During events, guests will sometimes have a special connection with one of the cats. 

“Doing different types of events gets different demographics of people in. The idea is to get more foot traffic and get the cats exposed to different types of people in the community. Sometimes, people come in just to have fun and do something. They didn’t know that they’ve met their new family member. They fall in love with a cat and put in an application,” Lee said. 

Since they opened, the café has had 1,074 adoptions. 

Lee said special events also give staff further insight into the cats’ behavior around humans and other cats. 

“They get socialized. We can see how the cats interact with other cats, how they act around children, what level of socialness they like,” Lee said. “Some of them are shy and are going to always be shy. It ends up being a better personality match with less returns whenever there is an adoption.” 

The cat café can be rented out for private events, during which guests can bring in outside food and beverages. More information is available by calling 520-849-8856 or emailing info@eljefecatlounge.com. 

The café is a donation drop-off spot for Cody’s Friends Charity. Donations collected are distributed to people who need with pets. 

Yoga with Cats

WHEN: 10-11 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 23

COST: $18

Crochet with Cats 

WHEN: 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23

COST: $20

Cat Bingo

WHEN: 6-7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23 and 30 

COST: $15

Sound Bath Group 

Meditation with Cats

WHEN: 7-8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11
COST: $25
INFO: eljefecatlounge.com