Las Vegas cafe offers cat companions, not coffee, as mood booster

By Mia Sims Las Vegas Review-Journal

5 years ago

Volunteer Kali Waddilove holds an adoptable kitten at the Rescued Treasures Cat Cafe, Tuesday, ... — Volunteer Kali Waddilove holds an adoptable kitten at the Rescued Treasures Cat Cafe, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019, in Las Vegas. (Elizabeth Page Brumley/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Volunteer Carl Fruge sips a cup of tea at the Rescued Treasures Cat Cafe, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019, in Las Vegas. (Elizabeth Page Brumley/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Malena Maestas, 13, plays with an adoptable cat at the Rescued Treasures Cat Cafe, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019, in Las Vegas. Maestas and her family drove from California to visit the cafe on it’s soft launch out of love for cats. (Elizabeth Page Brumley/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Pictured is a photo of Yeti as a kitten just after he was caught before being taken to the Rescued Treasures Cat Cafe inside of PAL NV. Carl Fruge said Yeti was skin and bones when they found him. (Courtesy)

Today, Yeti lives at the Rescued Treasures Cat Cafe along with about 14 other cats. He’s healthier, happier and looking for a new home, Carl Fruge said. (Courtesy)

Adoptable kittens play at the Rescued Treasures Cat Cafe, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019, in Las Vegas. (Elizabeth Page Brumley/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Anaisa Maestas, 13, plays with an adoptable cat at the Rescued Treasures Cat Cafe, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019, in Las Vegas. Maestas and her family drove from California to visit the cafe on it’s soft launch out of love for cats. (Elizabeth Page Brumley/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

An adoptable cat is pet at the Rescued Treasures Cat Cafe, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019, in Las Vegas. (Elizabeth Page Brumley/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Carl Fruge was feeding a colony of cats near a grocery store in North Las Vegas when he and his wife noticed the rustling of bushes nearby.

“We couldn’t find anything, but the next time we went to feed them, we saw the rustling again,” said Fruge, 66, of northwest Las Vegas. “A few weeks went by and we couldn’t find anything, so we ended up setting up a trap. We covered it with a blanket to disguise it as a hole, which cats are used to, put a bit of food in it and caught Yeti. He was terrified at first — all skin and bones. Today, he’s healthy and happy.”

After Fruge and his wife caught Yeti, they fed and transported him to Las Vegas’ new Rescued Treasures Cat Cafe. Yeti now lives among about 15 cats, all of whom are available for adoption. The cafe is inside PALNV, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing pet support in the Las Vegas Valley.

The organization partners with rescues to save cats facing homelessness and euthanasia in shelters, according to its website. After cats are rescued and brought to the cafe, the staff cares for them, working to get them adopted.

“All of these cats have stories,” said Fruge, who serves on the board of directors for PALNV. “Juliet, one of them that touched my heart the most, was a teen mom when she came in. She had a litter of kittens she was feeding, and then we ended up rescuing another batch of kittens, which she took in as her own and nursed. She suffered, had to have major surgeries, but she’s still here.”

Katherine Schlintz, president and CEO of PALNV, said the organization plans to host a series of yoga classes, crafts and games with the cats and the community every Wednesday night.

“Once we do our grand opening, we’re planning to offer more activities for children and families,” Schlintz said.

If you go

What: Visit with the cats and a beverage or snack

Cost: $10 for an hour. There are also PALNV community partner memberships under which people pay a monthly fee to visit.

Where: 4155 N. Rancho Drive, Suite 150

Hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1-6 p.m. Sundays.

To learn more or volunteer: rtcatcafe.org.

Contact Mia Sims at msims@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0298. Follow @miasims___ on Twitter.