OkcPets Magazine May 2022

32 OKC Pets • May/June 2022 cozy, warm, homelike, enriching environ- ment to bring out all their best and market them in a unique and special way that will get more of them adopted,” Fitzpatrick explained. Most of the felines at Don’t Stress Meowt will be those with a lower chance of adoption, such as middle-aged, elderly, or disabled cats or those who might not be the prettiest. “We won’t have cute kittens or special unique breeds that get adopted out super- quick,” Fitzpatrick said. “Right now, we have two partners — Safe Haven Animal Rescue and Oklahoma Humane Society.” A Lifelong Love of Cats How the Fitzpatricks came to open Okla- homa’s first cat café is a story in itself. Ms. Fitzpatrick is a lifelong cat lover, and she introduced her love of cats to her husband after they met at college. “I actually used to rescue cats with my grandma. We would find feral popula- tions and get them to trust us, and then we would find them homes. We have a cat that we’ve had for 10 years. I adopted her when I was in college,” she said. “I’ve always loved cats, and I introduced Adam to cats. He had never really grown up with them, and now he loves them because of me.” After college, the couple began to toy with the idea of a cat café after they scored a good travel deal to go to Japan, where the concept of the cat café originated. On a short trip to Miami in August 2021 for a little birthday vacation, the Fitzpatricks stumbled onto a cat café a block from their hotel. “We made our trip down to Miami, and a couple of weeks later, we actually got our certificate of LLC to operate the business. We came back and said, ‘Hey, we can do this,’ ” said Fitzpatrick. “I’m the doer, and she’s a dreamer, but together we are a dynamic duo.” A week later, the dynamic duo had a floor plan, had built the business model and projections, and had started to look for retail space. As with any new business, the Fitzpatricks have had some construction delays, but they hope to open Don’t Stress Meowt soon. The Purrfect Concept for Change Although Don’t Stress Meowt will operate as a traditional coffee shop with specialty coffee and teas and delivered bakery items, the true purpose will center around the cats. Visitors can pay a small entrance fee to lounge around with the resident felines, and it is hoped that they will fall in love with the kitties enough to adopt them. Ms. Fitzpatrick is a licensed clinical social worker, and her husband is an engi- neering manager for a premier architecture firm. They plan to keep their day jobs but will bring their specialty areas into the new cat café too. Construction on the new Don’t Stress Meowt cat café in Oklahoma City will be finished in summer 2022. Michaela and AdamFitzpatrick are realizing their dreamof openingOklahoma’s first cat café, Don’t Stress Meowt.