Naperville’s next cat cafe plans to open with 10 adoptable rescue cats in mid-November
Cafe Purrfection plans a mid-November opening in Naperville with coffee, walk-ins and 10 rescue cats available for adoption.
Naperville is set to get a new place where coffee comes with a view of cats at play. Cafe Purrfection says it plans to open in mid-November, combining a cafe space with a separate cat lounge stocked with rescue cats that visitors can meet and adopt.
A coffee stop built around rescue cats
Cafe Purrfection is planning to open in a strip mall near McDowell Road and North Route 59 in Naperville. Owner Carol Jamil said the business will be split into two main areas: a cafe and seating section with a book nook, and a separate room where customers can spend time with cats.
A glass wall is expected to divide the spaces, allowing people to watch the cats while having drinks or snacks. Jamil said the menu will focus on prepackaged snacks along with beverages such as coffee and refreshers. The drinks are set to carry cat-themed names, including whisker mocha, tabby toffee latte and caramel calico latte.
The cafe interior is planned with a forest-style look using greens, browns and sage tones. One wall will feature a 40-by-8-square-foot mural showing cherry blossoms and a waterfall.
The 10 cats will all be available for adoption
The cat side of the business is expected to include 10 rescue cats from Animal Rescue Foundation, or A.R.F., a Wheaton-based organization. Jamil said she wanted the cats in her cafe to come from a rescue rather than from breeding, and all of the A.R.F. cats at the cafe will be adoptable.
For A.R.F., the arrangement will mark its first partnership with a cat cafe. Board member Michelle Fischer said the nonprofit had heard from other cat cafes before, but decided to work with Jamil because of her outreach and because she chose to partner with only one rescue.
Fischer also said Jamil had planned for cat care details, including a separate area that could be used if a cat appeared to be getting sick. She said the setup could help cats get adopted more quickly because visitors would be able to interact with them in a space where the animals feel comfortable, rather than meeting them only at an adoption event.
Who it affects, and what visitors should know
For local cat lovers, the change takes effect when the business opens in mid-November. People who want time with the rescue cats are encouraged to reserve a slot ahead of time, though walk-ins will also be accepted. Visitors stopping in only for coffee will not need a reservation.
Jamil said the project is her first business venture. She was inspired after visiting a cat cafe in Missouri about four years ago and later noticed similar businesses in the Chicago area and Indiana, but not one especially close to her home near the Naperville-Aurora border.
She also said community support helped push the project forward, from five people, not counting Jamil and her daughter, helping paint the mural to artists offering help with the cafe logo. Jamil added that her own cats, Alex and Leo, might visit the cafe, though they would not be up for adoption. She also said her cockatoo could make an appearance.
