TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Tucson cat lovers are about to get a new way to experience cats and coffee together: El Jefe Cat Lounge on Campbell Avenue near Fort Lowell Road is planning an expansion.
Currently a "cat lounge," El Jefe describes itself as "the premier Tucson place to play with adoptable cats in an attractive, clean space."
The two-story space is currently a place to play with cats, and potentially find one (or more) to adopt.
In a recent Facebook post, El Jefe staff announced its upcoming expansion, which will include a complete 'cat café' concept and retail space:
Under its current business model, visitors pay a flat fee for time with the cats and a beverage. El Jefe also hosts a number of regularly-scheduled events in the space, including cat bingo, cat yoga and 'Kitty Haha' Comedy Night for Cats.
The exact origins of the cat café concept seem to be up for debate, but sources indicate the first one opened in Asia. The Guinness Book of World Record points to the Kitten Garden in Taipei, which launched in 1998, as the world's first and oldest in operation.
After that time, the concept spread throughout Asia, then moved to Europe before the first North American cat café opened in New York City in 2014, according to CNN.
El Jefe plans to have its cat café open to the public by January 2023, sources told KGUN 9.
But you don't have to wait until next year to adopt an El Jefe cat. According to the website, the lounge has helped facilitate 396 feline adoptions since November 2019. You can find their current cats up for adoption online.
And if the name and company logo looks familiar to you, the answer is yes: Their 'El Jefe' moniker is a tribute to what may be the U.S. Southwest's most famous cat, El Jefe the elusive jaguar, who roams the borderlands.
El Jefe Cat Lounge is located at 3025 N. Cambell Ave., Ste. 141.
- Sunday - Tuesday, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
- Friday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.
- (520) 849-8856
- info@eljefecatlounge.com
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Anne Simmons is the digital executive producer for KGUN 9. Anne got her start in television while still a student at the University of Arizona. Before joining KGUN, she managed multiple public access television stations in the Bay Area and has worked as a video producer in the non-profit sector. Share your story ideas and important issues with Anne by emailing anne.simmons@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.
