But we’re pawsitive that “The House Cat Cafe” in Ogden is one of those places.

Opened last November by co-owners Christine Otterstrom and Jenny Wilcox, the business — as the city’s first cat cafe — has helped pair people with coffee and cats along with art and other social opportunities.

“The other owner — Jenny — has always wanted to open a cat cafe,” Otterstrom said. “I have a lot of experience in coffee shops and with helping stray cats and doing trapping and return programs. She asked me if I wanted to be her partner to open. I had to take some time to think about it because my field is zoology — I was working at the natural history museum doing field work. I had to think about it a little bit, but I decided I wanted to try it out because I love cats and coffee.”

She said that it wasn’t nearly as straightforward as opening a regular, run-of-the-mill coffee shop.

Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner

“It was a little bit complex getting started because Ogden City had never worked with a cat cafe, including the health department and zoning,” she said. “It was a little bit of a learning curve for all of us because they were all great in helping us figure it out. The main thing is that — while we’re working — we can’t really spend time in the cat lounge. We can’t go back-and-forth from the cat area into the kitchen for health code reasons.”

The cat cafe is split into two separate dining areas, one with the bakery and coffee area, and a separate cat lounge that can be viewed through windows in the first. Inside the cat lounge are up to six cats at one time supplied with cat trees, toys and seating areas for people and cats to bond. Cafe patrons can pay a small fee to hang out with the cats. The cafe has seven employees along with around five or six regular volunteers who help with the cats during business hours.

Otterstrom said they even sought out a local coffee roaster to help support their business.

“When we were choosing our coffee beans, we wanted to choose a local roaster,” she said. “We get our coffee from Coffee Links here in Ogden. They roast it for us. It’s a blend of South and Central American beans, mainly. The reason why we go through Coffee Links is because, first of all, it’s delicious — we’d tried it before and I was like, ‘This is the best espresso I’ve ever had.’ Also, they are a minority-, immigrant-owned business, and we really like supporting that and helping promote them.”

Additionally, the House Cat has paint nights, kids’ story times and knitting events with plans to expand on them. People can buy crafts and other merchandise from local artists and there are plans to populate the building with more cat-themed art by local creators. Otterstrom noted that Wilcox has a culinary school background and bakes all of the cafe’s baked goods from scratch. The House Cat is also a stop on the First Friday Art Stroll on the first Friday of every month.

Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner

Otterstrom said that the House Cat is more than a place to hang out with cats.

“We get all of our cats from the Weber County Animal Shelter,” she said. “It’s kind of a foster setup where we’re fostering from them and they just live here until they get adopted.”

She said this makes it easier to handle adoptions.

“We vet people first on whether or not they’re going to be a good fit,” she said. “Then the Weber County Animal Shelter handles all of the adoption fees and they process it all. It’s good to go through them because they make sure all the cats are healthy, they all have their shots, they’re all fixed and chipped before they come here. They monitor for behavior too, so they can tell us which ones they think will do well in a cat cafe environment.”

Otterstrom said, as of Friday, 40 cats have been adopted through the House Cat.

Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner

“We’ve had so much encouragement and excitement throughout the community and on social media,” she said. “So many people want to support us. It’s not uncommon for someone to walk in and hand us money, like, ‘Here’s $50. We want it to go to whatever you need it for in your business. We just want to support you.’ It’s really encouraging how excited people are about having this here, and it’s felt really rewarding knowing how many cats we’ve adopted out — that’s the best part.”

There is one cat on site that isn’t up for adoption.

“We have a resident cat named Glinda that we’ve adopted and she’s here all of the time,” Otterstrom said. “We typically have five cats that are available for adoption at all times.”

The House Cat has been in what Otterstrom described as a “soft opening” phase where it’s been open to the public for more limited hours and events Wednesday-Sunday — but that’s about to change.

“Coming up on May 30, we’re having our grand opening party,” she said. “We’re still working out all of the special things we’re going to do for the grand opening.”

Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner

She said there will be expanded hours and more events at the cafe, including birthday parties following the grand opening. The grand opening festivities will take place between 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on May 30.

For more information about the House Cat, including volunteer opportunities and event schedules, visit https://www.thehousecatcafe.com/. Adoptions are done on-site and in-person.

Turbo eyes up a spring toy at the House Cat Cafe in Ogden on Friday, May 1, 2026.

Cats roam about the cat lounge at the House Cat Cafe in Ogden on Friday, May 1, 2026.

The House Cat Cafe co-owners Christine Otterstrom, left, and Jenny Wilcox, right, — pictured here on Friday, May 1, 2026 — opened Ogden's first cat cafe in November 2026.

An assortment of baked goods at the House Cat Cafe in Ogden on Friday, May 1, 2026.

The main dining area at the House Cat Cafe in Ogden, pictured on Friday, May 1, 2026.