It all started with a trip to Purrista Cat Café last February. If you're not familiar with them, they're an incredible small business, located in the heart of Erie, PA. They basically have two separate areas within their building. The café has a cozy sitting area and a few shelves with some cat-inspired boutique-y items for sale. They source delicious baked goods and drinks from local bakeries and change the menu frequently. You can stop in anytime and grab a coffee or tea, or my favorite, a macaroon! They also have a large window that looks into the adjoining room...the cat play place!!
Purrista works with Because You Care (an animal rescue and adoption center) to find forever homes for these precious kitties. All of the cats at the café are available for adoption. A volunteer was telling me that some of these cats spend over a year waiting to be adopted at the rescue center, and then come to Purrista and are adopted within 2 weeks! The café is very active in the community and hosts fun events like yoga with cats, and study hours for college students! They have an amazing area for the cats to play, relax, and get fed lots of treats! For a small fee you can visit the kitties for an hour and enjoy all the snuggles and purrs!
Anyway, my daughter, Caitlin, and I booked a visit to Purrista very soon after their grand opening, and Caitlin was smitten! She didn't just fall in love with one cat...she fell in love with all of them! However, she knew that she was really going to have to convince my husband to adopt a cat. Soon she was reading books on cat ownership, writing lists about their needs, and even creating Power Point presentations as to why she'd be a great cat owner!
As her 11th birthday approached (she requested a visit to Purrista with her friends for her party), I really started pushing adoption, too! I saw how dedicated she was, and how much she would love and care for a cat. My husband saw it, too; and he finally caved!
I had never visited Because You Care before; but I knew that they had partnered with Purrista, so I thought we'd go check them out. They're located in McKean and have a really great group of volunteers! We knew that we wanted to check out the kitten room...but would probably adopt an older cat that was a little calmer. Well, we walked into the kitten room, and my heart melted!! These little guys were all so sweet, friendly, and playful! But the one that stole our hearts was "Bubble."
She was about 4 1/2 months old, and sweet as can be! Over the course of 3 different visits, she snuggled right up with me, played with my son, tolerated my gentle yet handsy preschooler, and cuddled in my daughter's lap. We all knew that she was the one for our family. She was mild-mannered, loveable, and cuddly. We knew that she'd be a great addition! Unbeknownst to my daughter, I filled out the necessary adoption paperwork so that we could surprise her with the news.
The night before the first day of middle school we presented our daughter with an empty littler box, various cat toys, and a T-shirt that read "My cat thinks I'm purrfect," and told her the big news; we'd be adopting "Bubble" the next day after school! She was speechless! Then she started cracking up because she was so happy! I don't think I've ever seen that amount of joy on her face before! It was truly one of the best moments of our lives!
The day passed, and Caitlin practically flew off of the middle school bus with a huge smile on her face! She couldn't wait to go get her kitty! We made a quick trip to Petsmart where Caitlin personally purchased all of the necessary (and some completely UNnecessary supplies!) for our newest family member! She is quite frugal and had been saving her allowance for well over a year. But she was only too happy to buy fun cat toys and treats!
We headed over to Because You Care and less than 10 minutes later were walking out with our newest four legged family member! I will never forget the looks on my kids' faces as we headed to the parking lot! They were completely overjoyed!
"Bubble" (or Pepper as we now call her) has settled right in! We were nervous, at first, about introducing her to our dog; but they both absolutely love each other! We really couldn't have asked for them to get along better than they do! Pepper is a social little thing and will climb right up onto your lap for some pets, or snuggle on your chest as you read bedtime stories! And my favorite part is getting to photograph a new member of the family! She's a natural!
Do you have a pet adoption story? I'd love to hear it! Those stories just warm my heart! And make sure to give Purrista Cat Café and Because You Care a follow over on FB and IG!
Purrista:
Because You Care:
Until next time, take care and smile pretty!!
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