Will Sacramento cat cafe ever open? Owners announce change of plans
After waiting roughly four years to open Sacramento’s first cat cafe, the mother-daughter duo behind Capital Cat Cafe said they’re abandoning those plans.
Co-owners Laura and Emalee Ousley announced plans in 2021 to open a restaurant at 701 16th St. in midtown Sacramento where cats and coffee lovers could mingle.
However, the Ousleys wrote in a recent social media post, they encountered “setback after setback” in their journey to bring that dream to life.
“We know you have been eagerly awaiting our opening,” the pair wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday, April 15. “We are amazed at the amount of continued support we have had over these last four years. Sadly, after all the money we have spent and the time we have invested, the project has come to an end.”
Why open a cat cafe in Sacramento?
Laura and Emalee Ousley spent years working in the food and customer service industries before exploring the possibility of opening a feline-themed restaurant, The Sacramento Bee reported previously.
After visiting nonprofit cat rescue Cat Town in Oakland, the Ousleys learned how socializing cats can be essential to getting them adopted, Emalee Ousley wrote in a Wednesday, April 16, email to The Bee, explaining that cat cafes can help “undersocialized cats” have a better chance of finding forever homes.
The Ousleys planned to serve up coffee, beer, wine, cocktails and small bites in a roughly 2,200-square-foot space adjacent to Lulu’s Kitchen.
Adoptable cats would have been housed in a separate room for “therapeutic joy,” Laura Ousley told The Bee in 2024.
“Our goal is to increase the number of cats adopted in the Sacramento area while providing the community with an inviting place to socialize with the cats, a place to relax, work and enjoy food and beverages,” Capital Cat Cafe said on its website.
What happened to Capital Cat Cafe?
In their Facebook post, Laura and Emalee Ousley listed the challenges they’ve faced over the years — ranging from “family health issues” and job changes to a lengthy, expensive construction process.
“I want to make it clear that our personal challenges are not the reason we are no longer pursuing this (project),” Emalee Ousley told The Bee via email. “We have worked hard to this goal despite them and we were looking forward to running this business together no matter what life (threw) at us.”
However, she said, the building process proved insurmountable.
“Our main battle was submitting our plans to the (city of Sacramento) many times,” Emalee and Laura Ousley wrote in the post. “Each time we had new comments and responses to problems we had previously addressed. There have been new building codes, expired stamps and additional specialist we had to hire.”
Although the business owners said they received health and conditional use permits “without a problem,” they continually ran into issues that “baffled” even the “professionals working on our plans.”
“We are a mother-daughter team who wanted to invest in the community we call home,” the mother-daughter duo said in the post. “It’s unfortunate that the city we love made it impossible for us to fulfill our dream.”
Community reacts to midtown restaurant news
Capital Cat Cafe enjoyed strong support from the community, attracting more than 5,000 Instagram followers over the past four years.
After the Ousleys shared news of their decision via social media, comments flooded Capital Cat Cafe’s Facebook and Instagram pages as followers expressed their disappointment, sorrow and gratitude.
I was so hoping this would work out,” Suzie Greene wrote in a Facebook comment. “I’m thankful at least you tried! My sister and I desperately wanted to try for a cat cafe also but Sacramento is not the place apparently. I hope your next endeavor is in your favor!
“Thank you for your dream, but your health and sanity is more important,” Instagram user allwalksoflife wrote. “Shame on Sacramento!!! I will be rocking my Capital Cat Café shirt forever!”
Facebook user Amy McAllaster also expressed support for the business owners.
“Thank you for trying so hard, on behalf of the kitties and the humans who love them,” McAllaster wrote. “I wish you good health and success on your next venture, and don’t stop dreaming.”
What’s next for local businesses owners?
Emalee Ousley said she and her mom plan to “take a breather and focus” on their “family and health.”
If anyone wants to buy the Capital Cat Cafe logo and business “as is,” Ousley added, the pair are willing to part with it.
“I don’t think either of us are going to pursue opening a small business anytime soon but I would like to think one day we can revisit the dream,” Emalee Ousley said.
Are there any cat cafes in the Sacramento region?
As of Wednesday, April 16, the Sacramento region was home to a single cat cafe.
Tabby Tea Cat Lounge & Adoption Center opened in December at Cat Tales Feline Health Center, 606 West Covell Blvd. in Davis, according to The Bee’s archives.
Visitors to the cafe can “relax and unwind with our adorable shelter cats in a calm, fear-free environment” while enjoying complimentary beverages and Wi-Fi, the animal health center said on its website.
Admission costs $10 per person per hour, which all proceeds supporting local shelters and animal welfare groups.
