TUCSON, Ariz. -- (KGUN) — Step inside any day its doors are open, and you'll find the cool residents of El Jefe Cat Lounge playing their own version of pool and watching TV.
"This helps people. It brightens their day," business owner Tiffany Lee said. "It reduces stress and then it also helps cats find homes. So, it's a win-win."
The kittens who bring life to the space and visitors to the lounge, can help put a smile on the faces of customers like Halle Dowden-Parrott.
"When I'm having a really rough school week, when there's a lot going on or when something happens," she said, "the first thing I do is I have to go play with the cats it's just a really calming place to be. They kind of read the vibe and go with it. I've just always been a big cat person cuz they kind of match my energy pretty well."
Lee has run the city's first and, to date, only cat lounge for the last three years. She said she's proud the community has embraced both her idea and her furry tenants.
"(People) just really, really embraced local, and they've just been our biggest supporters," she said.
To date, hundreds of cats of all ages have found new homes. "Especially,' Lee said, "since we were closed for five months during COVID. So, there weren't any adoptions going on at that point, but we picked right back up. So, were really excited about 400."
For customers who simply want to come in for a visit, people like Dowden-Parrott are happy to run into the dozens of animals roaming up and down the building's three stories. "I'm a huge cat person. Being away from my cats at college is tricky for me," she said. "I like to be able to come and hang out with a rotating cast of cats."
Now the cat lounge will soon also be a cat café. "We decided the best course of action was to rent the space next door," Lee said.
"That's been vacant, and we'll serve and prepare coffee there and you'll check in there." Then, Lee said, customers would get a pass to come over to the cat side with their drink in hand.
Construction hasn't started just yet, but Lee said it will be a simple remodel. "We're hoping it isn't going to take too long and we're hoping for January," she said.
"We are teaming up with Cartel Roasting Company here locally, so that we are also using a local company with our coffee," Lee said. The humans who love the space are excited, too. "The more, the better," Dowden-Parrott said, "so I'm really excited to see what comes of that and how that grows."
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