July 13, 2023

Heather Wendlandt may never be able to keep the windows of her downtown cat cafe clean.

Certainly, that has been true in the days since the first cats arrived and took over a lounge designed especially for them and the cat-lovers who come to visit. The plate-glass windows lining two sides of The Cattitude Cafe in the Johnson Building have been smudged with the imprints of fingers, hands and even noses of curious passersby.

The Cattitude Cafe will open at 7 a.m. Saturday and serve items as varied as coffee drinks and a charcuterie board. Those who make a reservation and pay an hourly fee can take their drinks into the cat lounge while they pet sleeky coats and lure standoffish cats with various toys.

Since July 6, when the first adoptable cats arrived from the Sioux Falls Area Humane Society, the cat cafe staff have learned their individual personalities, said Desirae Mcmahon, The Cattitude’s general manager.

There’s Thor and Loki, two bonded cats that Mcmahon describes as “just lovable.” Loki, named after the trickster god in Norse mythology, lives up to his mischievous namesake. He learned how to open the handle on the cat lounge door, so it had to be reversed.

Lilith loves attention, while Paul is “super playful.” And Artemus, one of the only long-haired cats on-site, has gotten over an early case of nerves and now has acclimated well to his new surroundings.

Plus, there’s Darla, who was chosen as The Cattitude’s resident feline. The chocolate-colored cat is the only animal not up for adoption. Instead, her role will be to welcome the SFAHS cats to the lounge as prior occupants are adopted and move to permanent homes.

Customers who want to come in without mingling directly with the cats can watch them through a window. Wendlandt designed the cat lounge with a separate HVAC system, so even those who are allergic to cats can come to the main cafe.

The cat lounge can accept 15 customers at a time, and Saturday and Sunday already are completely booked, Mcmahon said. The reservations system went up July 9, and Saturday was filled within the first couple of hours.

Mcmahon and her cat, Zoey, have been together for almost 15 years. She rescued Zoey from a dangerous outdoor life on a farm. The Cattitude Cafe’s goal is to make sure other cats lead their best lives, especially older felines.

It’s easy to fall in love with a kitten, Mcmahon said, but older cats can be just as lovable.

“They will give just as much love, and they’re just as sweet,” she said. “They deserve a better life as well.”

Humane Society staff picked out the first cats to move to The Cattitude. Candidates were placed in a safe room so they could integrate with each other. Those that meshed well with their fellow cats came to the cafe.

During construction of The Cattitude Cafe at 11th Street and Second Avenue, it became a popular spot for people to visit. Josh Baade, who designed the mural on one of the cat lounge’s walls, said he felt like he was working in a fishbowl as he painted.

Baade’s work usually consists of flash tattoo designs on his iPad or paintings done on small canvasses. He described seeing his mural that covers more than 170 feet as surreal.

Baade is a registered nurse for a telemedicine emergency room. When Wendlandt saw his work and approached him about designing a mural, he hesitated, then agreed. Baade said he’s grateful for the opportunity.

An animal person who has turned into a cat person, Baade incorporated three of Wendlandt’s cats, his own three cats and two cats belonging to friends in a mural that adopts The Cattitude’s slogan, “Show me your kitties.”

With Wendlandt’s input, he chose a 1970s theme for the color palette and a poster bubble lettering also from that era. He planned out the mural for about 18 months, slowed by COVID and construction, then put in 50 to 60 hours painting it.

“I was in a fishbowl when I was in there,” Baade said. “I would do late nights because construction was in there, and I had people walk by from outside, knock on the windows and wave and give me a thumbs-up.”

Mcmahon knows how excited people are to see a cat cafe come to Sioux Falls. The Cattitude Cafe will have two primary goals: to serve its customers the best coffee and food and to help save the lives of cats.

“We want people to come in and fall in love with these cats,” she said.

The Cattitude Cafe’s hours will be 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. The cat lounge opens at 7 a.m.

To make a reservation for time in the cat lounge, visit this page.