New cat adoption center in Farmington Hills features lounge and café

FARMINGTON HILLS — Those in search of feline companionship may find it while enjoying a light snack, a drink, and maybe even a movie, thanks to the arrival of a new cat adoption center.

The Avocato Catfé and Adoption Center is scheduled to open July 23 with a concept that is unique to the area.

Among the features of the adoption center is a café area, a lounge area, an educational room with books about cats, a kitten room, and a party area.

According to Michelle Dimaria, who launched the adoption center, the cats will be “free roaming” inside the facility.

“When you walk in there’s like a wall that separates the cat area from the food area,” Dimaria said. “And then you open the door and walk through to get to the cat area, so you can bring your food back there to eat with the cats if you want, or you can stay in the front without the cats if you’re just passing by at lunch and you don’t have time to hang out with the cats but you want to just grab a bag of chips and a coffee.”

Dimaria estimated that the facility is around 1,400 square feet.

The facility is located at the former site of Carousel Cat Clinic, which was a veterinary practice.

It is located at 38437 Grand River Ave. in Farmington Hills, between Halstead and Haggerty roads.

Dimaria expects to have between 10 and 15 kittens and cats inside the facility at a time.

She said that the cats are currently housed at four Petco locations and “a bunch of foster homes.”

According to Dimaria, the adoption center is an extension of Pet Adoption Alternative of Warren, which is a nonprofit, volunteer-run animal rescue group that was started in 2008, through which adoptable cats are available at Petco stores in Farmington Hills, Troy, Warren and Livonia.

While Avocato is an extension of that nonprofit, there is a difference.

“We’re kind of hoping that it’ll be a more, I guess, laid-back environment for people to meet the cats,” said Dimaria, who works in financial services for an automobile company. “Although it’s great (that) people can meet the cats at the pet stores, they don’t get to interact with them as much, as far as what their normal personality is like. They’re more stressed out in a store environment, so by having it set up more like a home environment, then the cats will be more relaxed and more themselves, and people can spend more time with them.”

According to Dimaria, there are 30-35 volunteers so far. One of them is Judith Lolas, who is the operations manager for Avocato.

According to her, there is one cat café in Ferndale and a couple of others spread out around Michigan, but this is the first one in the Farmington area.

“We’re really very excited about it — the thought of having something that’s like a café … where the cats can roam free and have cat buddies and people can come and interact with them,” Lolas said. “When you have the cats in a comfortable situation where they’re not in a cage with barking dogs, you can see the cats’ true colors, so when people come to adopt them and they see them roaming around and playing, they get a pretty good idea of how they’ll be in their homes.”

Dimaria estimated that she has wanted to open a cat café for around 10 years, with a visit to a facility in Orlando, Florida helping to prompt the idea.

“It’s such a great, relaxing environment,” she said. “You just see how much people love spending time with the cats, and so it’s good for everybody – it’s good for the cats, it’s good for the people. I just fell in love with it right away. It’s taken a long time to get there, because most cities don’t really understand the concept of a cat café, and so it’s very difficult to explain to people.”

According to Dimaria, other cities wanted the café to operate in an industrial area, Farmington Hills’ Building and Planning Department approved the retail space location.

The space is being leased, and according to Dimaria, expenses are covered through adoption fees, donations and sales from food and drinks from the café.

Dimaria intends to have special events, such as birthday parties with the cats and movie nights.

The facility features two large television screens, one for a party area and the other for the main lounge.

She said there are no employees, but volunteers work in three-hour shifts.

The facility is scheduled to be open 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays.

While visiting the facility, people can get an idea as to what kitten or cat may best suit them, based on factors such as their lifestyle and how often they’re home.

Although walk-ins are allowed, making an appointment is preferred.

Appointments can begin to be booked July 17 at avocato.org, where people can also visit for more information.

Although adoption fees can vary, according to Lolas it is generally $150 for an adult cat and $175 for a kitten, with a $25 discount for those who adopt two at a time.

“I’m super excited,” Dimaria said. “I can’t even believe it’s coming true because it’s such a long dream to do it.”

Lolas said that having a café is a dream that she and Dimaria shared.

“We’re very excited to welcome visitors to the café,” said Lolas, who is a lead volunteer at a Petco location. “We think it’s a really unique experience for both cats and people. Being able to come in, have a cup of coffee or a cold drink and a snack and enjoy some time with cats, I think it’s a great opportunity … and of course it’s spectacular for the cats.”

People can also find out more information by calling (248) 482-8271 or visiting Avocato’s Facebook page.

Those who are interested in volunteering can also contact Avocato.