1-What inspired you to open “Beirut Cat Cafe”?

My two greatest incentives were my love for animals (especially cats) and the dream of owning my own business.

From a very young age, I've had the desire of growing up to work with animals, and a cat cafe seemed like a perfect opportunity. I fell in love with the idea of a cat cafe and visited a few myself in different countries. After a whole year of research and planning, Beirut Cat Cafe finally came to life.

2-Describe your cafe in 3 words.

Relaxing, Happy and Heartwarming.

3-If you were a customer in your own cafe, what would you order from the menu?

I would definitely go for the "Abby Melon" from our new summer menu.

It's a delicious blend of fresh watermelon juice and lemon.

4-Where do the cats come from (stray, associations,adoption…)?

We have an exclusive partnership with BETA (Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). They are a local animal welfare NGO and take care of an overcrowded cat shelter.

We foster cats from BETA's shelter at our cafe and help them find their forever homes. When people see rescue cats outside the shelter, in a cozy relaxing environment, they are more likely to consider adopting.

We've had 3 adoptions so far, and we look forward to finding homes to as many cats as possible!

5-How do you keep the cats safe around people?

We have a list of "Kitty Safety Rules" that are explained to new visitors at the entrance.

Our rules include not feeding the cats, not waking up sleeping cats, not picking up or carrying the cats around, and of course no sudden loud noises. Our rules keep the cats safe as well as our visitors especially if any kids are visiting our cafe.

6-Can you tell us a funny story about the cafe?

We have hilarious moments everyday since cats are always playing around and being silly!

From playful fights, to funny sleeping positions, we're never bored at Beirut Cat Cafe. The funniest moments happen when the cats are left alone at the cafe, which is why we pull out our camera history sometimes just to get a laugh out of what the kitties do when we're not there!

We once found out that one of our cats has learned how to open the bathroom door by jumping and hanging on to the doorknob! It was pretty entertaining to watch, but now we make sure to lock all doors.

And there’s more. If you're obsessed with cat everything, you can even get your hands on a wide range of designed cat products from mugs to accessories and even some toys for your furry friend.

Go visit Beirut Cat Cafe and celebrate #InternationalCatDay!