At Central Kentucky’s only cat cafe, grab coffee, play with or adopt a furry friend
When they decided to open a cat cafe in January 2021 in a Georgetown strip mall next to outlet stores, Jennifer Judd Hoskins and her husband Ryan Hoskins wondered if people would come to play with the furry friends.
In the middle of the COVID pandemic, would shoppers stop in for coffee or a beer? And most important, would they adopt cats?
Turns out the answer to both questions is a resounding yes.
As the cafe approached its second anniversary, Central Purrk Cat Cafe approached another big milestone: The 500th adoption.
They achieved it just before the end of the year. On Dec. 30, the cafe celebrated three adoptions, putting them at 501 cats in new homes.
“I love it, I can’t believe, it is so awesome,” she said. “We wanted to help homeless animals find their forever home and to help shelters. We wanted to do something that did some good.”
How many cat cafes are in Kentucky?
Judd Hoskins, who worked in animal rescue for many years, convinced her husband that the cafe would work by taking him to other cat cafes in the region. Kentucky has three other cat cafes: two in Louisville and one in Covington.
Once he saw that they could even sell beer, “he was definitely on board,” Judd Hoskins said.
Central Purrk, which is an homage to the cafe Central Perk on the show “Friends,” has a full bar as well as a coffee bar. They serve cocktails, wine and draft and craft beer as well as “every kind of coffee drink you can imagine,” Judd Hoskins said.
They also offer baked goods including scones, cookies, lemon bars and brownies from Ouita Michel’s Midway Bakery, popcorn from Louisville’s Popcorn Station and macaron cookies.
And yes, some people do come in just for coffee, Judd Hoskins said.
“Most people come in and look around and say, ‘Are there really cats in here?’” she said. “They’re surprised because it doesn’t smell like cats. It smells like fresh ground coffee.”
People can watch the cats through window on the “cat lounge,” which is a separate room.
Cat lounge: How to make reservation at Central Purrk Cat Cafe
Inside, there are usually 10 adult cats and up to eight people. You can spend 30 minutes in the cat lounge for $6 or an hour for $12 and Judd Hoskins recommends you make a reservation, especially on weekends, evenings and holidays. Walk-in visitors may be turned away if the room is too full of people petting and playing with cats.
The cafe has hosted a lot of events, including birthday parties and, recently, a bachelorette party. And seniors also come in for special visits.
Special “Kiddie Cat Hours” are available for children 6 and under to go in with an adult, and the cafe makes sure that the cats in the room at that time are friendly and easy-going enough to enjoy affection from little hands, Judd Hoskins said.
“A lot of cat cafes don’t allow small kids. But we think it’s important that kids learn to interact gently with animals,” she said. “The first few hours of the day on the weekend a parent and child can come in and we take any touchy cats and put them in the back.”
How to adopt a cat from the Central Purrk Cat Cafe
Her cafe doesn’t do kittens.
“We only focus on adult cats. Kittens get adopted easily, so we focus on the adult cats that get passed over,” she said. “Our hearts are with the senior cats.”
And if you fall in love with a cat, you can apply to adopt it. The cats are all from the Scott County Humane Society, which gets all the adoption fees involved.
Judd Hoskins said that people who can’t adopt cats for whatever reason are welcome watch others play with the felines in the lounge or go in and visit with them.
“You can bring a book, drink you coffee and let a cat curl up next to you,” she said. “It’s wonderful.”
Central Purrk Cat Cafe
Where: 401 Outlet Center Drive
Hours: Thursday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday noon to 5 p.m.
Online: Centralpurrkcafe.com
Call: 502-642-4478
This story was originally published January 2, 2023 at 7:00 PM.
