ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) – Looking for a quinoa salad with a side of cat companionship? Look no further then downtown Albuquerque.
In just one week, a first of its kind, unique eatery will open its doors to the public and their four legged friends.
Gatos y Galletas, located at 412 Central Avenue, will be serving up vegetarian fare alongside of felines.
Owner Julie Grueskin says there’s no need to worry about food prep and cats. Both are kept completely separate and in separate buildings.
She says she worked closely with the city as they researched health departments in other cities that also have cat cafes.
She installed a sink on the cat side and will even have an employee designated to stay with the cats.
“My thought is that people will eat or drink when they are here. But if not, there’s a $3 entrance fee to come in to the cat area. There’s also a waiver to sign just saying if you get bitten or scratched we are not liable for that. All of that stuff gets taken care of at the register on the food side. Then people can come to the cat side, they’ll just get a stamp,” said Grueskin.
She says her goal by opening the cafe is to get more cats adopted through an organization called F.A.T KATZ, while giving people a place to eat, relax, do yoga and spend time with cats.
The original grand opening was set to be April 9, but issues with permits and inspections forced Grueskin to push it back one more week.
