Atlanta's First Cat Cafe

ATLANTA - There's a new coffee shop in Grant Park and it's the first of its kind in Atlanta.

Java Cats Cafe is for the ultimate cat lover, designed for both humans and felines. The shop has two separate rooms to keep the cats in the lounge area, isolated from the barista station. The cats come from the PAWS Animal Rescue Shelter and are all adoptable.

The owner, Hadyn Hilton, dropped out of Georgia State University to pursue the cafe full time. She got the idea studying the phenomenon of YouTube cat videos in a class and ran with it.

"I just love animals and I love cats, it just seems perfect," said Hilton.

But the 25-year-old says it hasn't been easy, having to jump over many hurdles to bring her vision to life. Now she's hoping all the hard work will pay off.

"I want this to be a feel good place where people can come in here knowing that what they're putting in will support other nonprofits," said Hilton.

Java Cats Cafe serves pre-packaged food provided by The Gathering, a nonprofit working to support homeless men and women. A percentage of the food earnings goes toward the group. The cafe is also supported by Decatur’s Ebrik Coffeehouse.

We caught up with the first customer to adopt a cat at the shop, Fehmaida Maher, who said the cafe is a dream come true.

"This is a cat lover paradise," Maher said. "Everyone should come here who loves cats and coffee."

There is $10 fee to enter the lounge for one hour, which comes with a cup of coffee or tea. Due to the high volume of cat lovers, reservations can be made online. For more information on Java Cats Cafe, visit www.javacatscafe.com.