Cat Cafe Coming to Downtown Lowell

LOWELL — Lowell’s first-ever cat café is set to open soon — perhaps by the end of the year — offering a haven for animal lovers to sip coffee or snack on pastries while hanging out with adoptable cats.

Cat lovers can gather at the Lazy Cat Lounge Lowell, which will be located downtown at 177 Merrimack St., the former location of the now-closed Loyal Lounge nightclub.

“It’s going to be a relaxing space where you can use free Wi-Fi, have coffee and sit with cats,” said Brandi Jong, the company’s founder and Lowell resident. “It’s for people who are looking to adopt a cat or people who just want to spend time with a pet without the commitment of owning one.”

Jong had been toying with the idea for about a decade after hearing about the first cat cafe to open.

“The idea just came to me, like, ‘Wow, it would be great to do something like this here,’” said Jong, who is married and has one child.

The main idea was to find a permanent home for the cats. And of course, as Jong points out, “I love them.”

Jong devotes a lot of time to helping pets, volunteering at animal rescues, including the Lowell Humane Society, for the past 20 years. Jong notes that she regularly fosters cats and kittens, in addition to having her own.

“It’s weird because I grew up with dogs,” Jong said. “My dad was a dog breeder and no one on my father’s side of the family ever had a cat. I got my first cat in college and I’ve been around cats ever since.”

So how will this whole operation work? Jong explained that the 1,506-square-foot space on Merrimack Street will be divided into two sections. The first section, at the entrance, will feature a retail space offering cat-themed gifts, toys and even artwork from local artists.

Supporting local businesses is a key part of Jong’s business model. She partners with Peabody-based Atomic Coffee Roasters to provide hot and cold beverages. Other refreshments will include, but are not limited to, tea and flavored lemonades. Baked goods and other snacks will come from local vendors, including Pizzelle Bakes, located in Lowell’s Mill No. 5.

The other section is where cats can roam freely and where the softness of their fur reigns. Jong described this space, which will be separated from the commercial section by a wall with a window, as a “library or a Victorian living room.”

“But there will be a lot of what they call ‘catification,’ meaning there will be a lot of things for cats to climb on, scratch on and a lot of things for them to play with,” Jong said.

Visitors can pay an admission fee to enter the room and spend an hour with the cats. This will be by reservation. Jong said $1 from each admission will be donated to the Lowell Humane Society.

Jong estimates the room will be able to accommodate six to 10 cats at a time, depending on their temperament and history. The cats will come from the Lowell Humane Society, Broken Tail Rescue in Worcester and the Pat Brody Shelter for Cats in Lunenburg, among others, in an effort to ease pressure on those shelters.

“We’ll start with cats that the shelters think will be a good fit,” Jong said.

In addition to helping these cats find homes by serving as a sort of foster home, the café will provide a space for them to get out of their cages and socialize with other cats and people. Jong didn’t rule out the possibility that one or two cats could even become permanent residents of the Lazy Cat Lounge Lowell.

Only people aged 8 and over will be allowed into the venue, except during special events for younger children. Jong stresses that this is for everyone’s safety.

Jong said she is still going through the process of getting the Lazy Cat Lounge Lowell up and running, but hopes to be ready to welcome visitors by December.

Once open, the hours will be Wednesday through Sunday, 10am to 8pm. It will be closed from 2pm to 3pm each of those days to clean and give the cats some space.

To learn more about the local cat cafe, visit lazycatloungelowell.com.

Follow Aaron Curtis on X, formerly known as Twitter, @aselahcurtis