At Luna Cat Collective, Howard County’s first cat cafe, 10 adoptable kitties spend their days lounging on perches and batting at feather toys as guests treat themselves to Taiwanese tea and pastries.
The cafe opened Oct. 4 in Ellicott City and is staffed by eight part-time employees. It has partnerships with Small Miracles Cat and Dog Rescue, and several local and Taiwanese vendors.
Passes ranging from 45 minutes to a full-day stay are available for a visit.
For owners Ruth Wang, 31, and Brendan Morrison, 30, the cafe is a special place where the community can relax and where cats have a real shot at finding a forever home.
“Cats are very calming. They are very stress-relieving, so we thought that this would be a perfect place to build a community space, a safe space,” Wang said. “Its biggest purpose is providing that safe space everybody needs in the community, and finding these cats their forever homes.”
Wang and Morrison began planning the passion project in November 2023, shortly after their wedding. It helped Wang, who grew up in Gaithersburg, honor her Taiwanese heritage, she said, both through the menu and the concept of a cat cafe, which originated in Taiwan.
The idea took shape during a difficult time in Wang’s life. In 2018, Wang lost her mom to ovarian cancer and struggled to cope with the loss. With encouragement from Morrison, she adopted two cats and discovered just how healing they could be.
“They were with me all the time at the time I was grieving,” Wang said. “They definitely helped me process all of the grief and heal over that time period, so I wanted to provide that for people as well.”
Since opening, Luna Cat Collective has become a haven for both cats and customers. Inside, soft Taiwanese music plays over the hum of air purifiers as visitors have a chance to relax with self-serve tea from Mountain Stream Teas in Taiwan and coffee roasted by Vigilante Coffee Company of Hyattsville. Taiwanese baked goods are delivered fresh every few days from Japong Bakery in Rockville.
“I wanted this space to feel very comfortable,” Wang said, “like you’re walking into a Taiwanese cafe.”
Every cat that comes to the cafe is open for adoption through Small Miracles Cat and Dog Rescue. Adoption papers are available inside the café as well as on the rescue’s website. One cat, Jasper, already has a pending adoption application.
Giving the cats a sense of security is central to her mission, said Morrison, who grew up in Bel Air. Many of them come in with difficult histories.
One cat, Storm, earned her name after being found in a storm drain and arrived defensive and scared. While Wang still describes her as a little “spicy,” she has grown in leaps and bounds since first coming to the cafe, meowing and lounging around.
“The cats have definitely visibly relaxed since they’ve come here. They’ve really opened up. They’ve become more social. It’s giving them a much better chance of getting seen by people learning their individual personalities.”
Another bonded pair, sisters Katie and Gracie, were rescued from an abusive situation that left Gracie missing inches of her tail.
Now, Wang said, while the two remain a little quiet, “they will make air biscuits when they’re comfortable. They roll over for belly pets. They’re the best.”
To protect their well-being, the cats have access to cat-only rooms through small access doors in the wall to allow them space away from people to decompress. The business operates with limited hours, just seven hours most days, giving the cats the time they need to themselves.
Despite the warm reception, getting to opening day was not easy. Wang and Morrison originally hoped to open the business in December 2024, but the combination of cats and food meant navigating a maze of health, safety and zoning regulations. The process led them to look at more than 50 locations before finding one zoned for both an animal hospital and a restaurant.
“We were very optimistic,” Wang said with a laugh, but “this was honestly perfect.”
Just weeks after opening, regulars are already returning to see their favorite cats.
“One of the most rewarding things for me is sometimes I see some guests walk in and they’re having a really stressful day and when they leave they’re just smiling. That just makes me so happy that they’re able to find peace,” Wang said.
“The cats get the same effect,” Morrison added.
Wang hopes the cafe can continue to be a place of healing for both people and cats, offering the same comfort the cats gave her in her time of need.
“Seeing people smile just means the world to me, seeing people happy, seeing the cats happy,” Wang said. “It feels like I’ve gone through that personal journey of seeing what I can do for the community and for the cats … [and] creating the best space for both of them.”
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